Jordan Zweig remains connected to the WVU Chambers College through regular visits and speaking engagements with students. Jordan and Christi Zweig committed $100,000 in support for postgraduate fellowships.
A generous West Virginia University alumni couple is providing support for future Mountaineers who want to become business leaders after reflecting on their life-changing experience at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
Jordan and Christi Zweig, of Houston, Texas, earned master’s degrees in industrial and labor relations at WVU in 1994.
“I’ve had the privilege of having a career, a chance to live and work around the world and experiences I never dreamed of having,” Jordan Zweig said. “To me, it all goes back to where it all started in Morgantown, West Virginia.”
The Zweigs committed $100,000 to the Master’s in Industrial Relations and Human Resources program to fund two fellowships. The fellowships are paid positions in the college to help offset the cost of living in Morgantown while graduate students complete the 12-month program.
“We want students to get the most out of the program that they can,” Jordan said. “Sometimes a financial lift eliminates distractions and the need to spend time outside the program to earn money. I want someone to maximize the experience in the program so perhaps in 10 or 20 years from now, they can do the exact same thing we’re doing.”
“WVU’s access mission isn’t just limited to undergraduate students,” said Josh Hall, Milan Puskar Dean. “Financial support for our business graduate students removes barriers to pursuing an advanced degree. The student fellowships created by Christi and Jordan Zweig will provide unique opportunities for students to earn competitive wages as they gain real-world experience in recruitment and career development in the Chambers College. We are grateful for their commitment that will create new pathways of possibilities for students interested in our Master’s in Industrial Relations and Human Resources program.”
Jordan and Christi Zweig had different approaches to college. Jordan, a Walkersville, Maryland, native and self-proclaimed “small-town guy” and someone that originally wanted to stay close to home, followed his buddy to WVU. Christi’s decision to leave Texas for West Virginia was a bit more strategic.
“My wife was at West Virginia University because they had teaching assistantships; otherwise, she would have been at an in-state school. The only reason why she was at West Virginia is because WVU offered her a full scholarship and that assistantship. It was a financial play,” Jordan said.
Left Photo: Ethan Zweig, Jordan Zweig, Russ Lupton, Ally Lupton; Top Right Photo: Jordan Zweig visiting with WVU Chambers College students; Bottom Right Photo (L-R): Ethan Zweig, Christi Zweig, Jordan Zweig, Mountaineer Mascot
The move paid off in more ways than one. Jordan has been married to the girl he met the first day of graduate school for almost three decades. Their profession has taken them around the world, having worked in Italy, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
The investment in fellowships is a token of appreciation and a chance to give-back, according to the alumni.
“It’s a major thanks. Had I not been there, I wouldn’t have my wife. I wouldn’t have my job. I wouldn’t have my son. Everything I have is because of WVU,” Jordan said.
However, the wedding vows are not the only thing that led to the Zweig’s gift. Jordan explained there is a uniquely close, but competitive, bond among Mountaineers.
“I’m very biased. But I would argue there is not a more committed group of alumni than graduates from the master’s degree program in industrial relations and human resources,” Jordan said.
So, when a classmate created a scholarship about a decade ago, Jordan had questions and a mission.
“I didn’t know you could do that. We needed to find out how. It inspired us to do the same thing,” Jordan said.
The WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University, works with alumni interested in giving back to their alma mater to find gift opportunities that match their interests.
Flexibility in philanthropy and giving also enticed the Zweigs to invest in a place they call home.
“West Virginia, by far, is what we prioritize because it’s something the two of us share. It makes it easy. It’s a place that we love,” Jordan said.