Fifty first-year students from the Whitman School’s Class of 2027 received a surprise over the 2023-24 winter break when they were notified that they had been selected for a $5,000 Barnes Award for Academic Excellence, a scholarship to be used toward their sophomore year tuition in 2024-25. This award was not something any of them applied for or expected, but it was an acknowledgement based on merit and the overall excellence they showed during their first semester (fall) at the Whitman School.

This was the first time these scholarships were given, thanks to the generosity of long-time University and Whitman supporter Steven Barnes ’82, H’19, who, along with his wife, Deborah, pledged $500,000 to reward and retain outstanding students.

“It is my hope that the award will not only help retain some of our most exceptional students but also ensure that these students know the school recognizes their accomplishments and the potential they have shown in just a short time on campus,” says Barnes. “When I was putting myself through school, I, too, received an academic scholarship. The scholarship not only helped me financially; it also made me feel rewarded for my accomplishments and provided me with the confidence that I could excel at Whitman.”

Inaugural Barnes Scholars, all Class of 2027

Jake Cohen ’27 is a finance major at Whitman and a recipient of the Barnes Award. “I was thrilled to be one of the first students to receive the award, which acknowledged the effort I put into my first year at Whitman,” Cohen says. “It means so much that administrators and faculty recognize my leadership qualities, and this award provides me with the confidence and inspiration to continue achieving success at the Whitman School.”

Lindsay Quilty, assistant dean for undergraduate programs, coordinated much of the award distribution. “It’s not just about the money,” she says. “It’s about being valued and recognized as a high achiever and knowing that the Whitman School stands behind you and wants to see you succeed. When we identify students like these outstanding achievers, we want to make sure they stay at Whitman and use those talents far into their careers.”

The Whitman School looks forward to identifying students in the Class of 2028 who stand out among what is an academically competitive group. Later this year, a new group will be recognized with the Barnes Award for Academic Excellence.

BARNES’ GENEROSITY HAS SUPPORTED MANY UNIVERSITY/WHITMAN INITIATIVES

A graduate of the School of Management who majored in accounting, Barnes was the former chairman of Bain Capital’s Global Private Equity Business. He has been an active alumnus for years, previously serving as chairman of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees. Barnes has served on the board’s executive, and investment and endowment committees. Barnes is a longtime member of the Whitman Advisory Council and a founding investor in the Orange Value Fund. He also served as the founding co-chair of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families Advisory Board.
Barnes and his wife are established donors, having endowed the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities and the Barnes Professorship in Entrepreneurship, both at the Whitman School. They also gave the lead gift for the University’s Barnes Center at The Arch, a health, wellness and recreation center; and made a challenge gift in 2017 for the University’s Invest Syracuse initiative to match new and increased gifts to support promising students. The couple have also supported the University’s Office of Disability Services, Syracuse University Athletics, Remembrance Scholars and other efforts across campus.

Barnes was recognized with an honorary degree from Syracuse University in 2019, the University’s Dritz Trustee of the Year Award in 2014 and the Whitman School’s Jonathan J. Holtz Alumnus of the Year Award in 2011.

“We consider every student at the Whitman School to have great potential. At the same time, through their generosity, Steve and Deborah Barnes made it possible for us to recognize and support those students who, early in their academic journey, have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to their field of study and are advancing our shared goal of positioning Whitman as one of the top undergraduate business schools in the country. I’m excited for the opportunity to see the many ways that our inaugural Barnes scholars will make their mark on the Whitman School in the future,” says University Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation and Whitman Executive Dean J. Michael Haynie. “I cannot express strongly enough my gratitude for what the Barnes family has done to advance countless critical initiatives, on behalf of students, at the University and within the Whitman School.”

By Caroline K. Reff