CSX Supports UNF, Establishes Mark K. Wallace Scholarship
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Pictured: CSX President and CEO James M. Foote (left) and UNF Coggin College Dean Dr. Richard Buttimer.
CSX is providing $700,000 to the University of North Florida (UNF) for its Diversity in Business program, and for the establishment of the Mark K. Wallace CSX Transportation & Logistics Endowed Scholarship.
Both organizations are based in Jacksonville.
With CSX’s support, the Diversity in Business program at UNF’s Coggin College of Business will boost opportunities for students from diverse groups “by fostering exposure to professional development opportunities, building networks, and identifying opportunities for career advancement,” the university reported. “In addition, the program will increase awareness among diverse undergraduates of the full range of business careers and opportunities available to them at UNF.”
Among the program’s aims: to double the proportion of students from diverse backgrounds at Coggin, increase Black and African American enrollment to 10% in the next five years, have 500 students join and complete the program in five years, and have a “meaningful increase in majors and fields which have historically had underrepresentation from diverse groups.”
The Mark K. Wallace CSX Transportation & Logistics Endowed Scholarship is in honor of the CSX Executive Vice President who died Nov. 28, 2021. It will be awarded to needs-based students in Coggin’s transportation and logistics program. Wallace, a 25-year railroad veteran, was responsible for special projects and initiatives supporting CSX President and CEO James M. Foote, a role he took on in June 2021. He joined the Class I railroad in 2017 as EVP of Corporate Affairs and Chief of Staff, and was appointed EVP of Sales and Marketing in 2018. Railway Age readers named Wallace one of 10 Influential Leaders in 2021.
“CSX is pleased to partner with UNF and the Coggin College of Business to further progress workplace diversity,” Foote said. “We are equally proud to create the Mark K. Wallace CSX Transportation & Logistics Endowed Scholarship to honor Mark’s legacy by helping support the advancement of students in the transportation and logistics program.”
“UNF is extremely appreciative of CSX’s continued commitment during the 50th anniversary of UNF and the Coggin College of Business,” Coggin College Dean Dr. Richard Buttimer said. “The DIB [Diversity in Business] program will help recruit more underrepresented students into the college, and support and assist as they matriculate and graduate with increased exposure to career opportunities. CSX’s generosity towards this program and the endowed scholarships will create a collaborative environment to further support more diverse students with the skills needed for the business workforce.”
