Arts & Culture

UWF alumnus honors father by providing scholarships to UWF students

The University of West Florida received a $50,000 gift from UWF alumnus Jeff Weeks to establish the William J. “Bill” Weeks Endowment Scholarship in honor of his father.

Jeff Weeks, financial advisor and first vice president-investment officer at Wells Fargo Advisors and UWF alumnus, donated $50,000 to the UWF Foundation and the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities on Monday, April 8, 2019, in honor of his father, William "Bill" Weeks.

The scholarship is reserved for first-generation college students majoring in fine arts, performing arts or communications within the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. To qualify, students must be from Escambia, Santa Rosa, Oklaloosa or Walton counties in Florida and Escambia or Baldwin counties in Alabama. The scholarship may be renewed for up to four years.

Weeks is a senior vice president-investment officer with Wells Fargo Advisors in Pensacola and also the host and producer of “Conversations with Jeff Weeks” on WSRE. He majored in communications at UWF, and his father, Bill, had a passion for art.

“The skills learned in communications and art courses translate into every industry today,” Weeks said. “The arts and creativity are so important to our society as a whole and I think we need more talented individuals with these skills entering the workforce. I hope this scholarship inspires growth and change in students who may not have known the potential they had before. Once you break that seal on your potential, the sky’s the limit.”

When Weeks was in kindergarten, his mother suffered a brain aneurysm that forced his father to step up and bear the brunt of the work in the household. He took care of his family, while maintaining a successful career.

“He was acting almost like a single father at a time when that was uncommon,” Weeks said. Although Weeks’ father did not attend college, he encouraged his children to pursue higher education.

“The college is honored and deeply grateful to have received this wonderful endowment from Mr. Weeks and his family,” said Dr. Steve Brown, dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. “It is representative of the commitment and devotion the family shares toward learning, and signifies a recognition of the critical importance of the arts and communication in every professional career. We applaud and deeply appreciate their belief and support of First Generation college students.”

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC.

For more information on the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, visit uwf.edu/cassh.

For more information about giving to UWF, visit uwf.edu/give.