This fund was established in honor of James Weeks in 2000 for the purpose of supporting professional advancement for faculty and students in the College of Journalism and Communications including conferences, professional meetings and internships.

Weeks was born May 28, 1942. He earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising in 1964 from the University of Florida, where he was a member of Theta Chi fraternity. In 1994, he was named a College of Journalism and Communications Distinguished Alumnus.

Weeks was a graduate of the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School. After graduating, Weeks worked in the advertising department of The Gainesville Sun. He then progressed to the position of retail advertising manager. Weeks went on to work with New York Times in Wilmington, NC, Santa Rosa, CA and Santa Barbara, CA. He served as president and chief operating officer of The New York Times Regional Media Group.

Weeks passed away January 8, 2007 in New York. He is survived by his wife Toney and their two children.