"By working with others to address compelling community needs and public issues, we hope students learn more about themselves, their world, and about the vital importance of using our skills, creativity, and knowledge in the serice of society."
-- Robert and Jane Sharpe

Robert Sharpe Sr. believed that everyone has the capacity and obligation to give back to society. To his many friends and colleagues, he often cited his mother's belief that we should give "a dime for every dollar" we have. For Sharpe, a former member of the William & Mary Endowment Association, commitment to public service was the driving force behind his life's work. Before his sudden death in 2000, Bob Sharpe, a recognized expert in philanthropy, set the wheels in motion to see his life's work fulfilled. The Sharpe Community Scholars Program and Sharpe Professorship of Civic Renewal are named for Sharpe and his wife, Jane A. Sharpe of Memphis, Tennessee. Through the vision and generosity of Bob and Jane Sharpe, first-year students selected as Sharpe Community Scholars have opportunities to connect community activism to academic study and develop the leadership skills and disposition to make a meaningful difference in the places where they live and work.