Belmont University in Nashville has announced a $10 million gift from alumnus Milton Johnson and his wife, Denice, to endow a scholarship fund for the Bridges to Belmont program.

The R. Milton and Denice Johnson Bridges to Belmont Endowed Scholarship Fund will help provide Bridges to Belmont Scholars with full four-year scholarships that cover tuition, room, board, required fees, and books — with Belmont funds supplemented by appropriate state and federal grants. Launched in 2013, the program enrolls qualified, high-potential students from Metro Nashville Public Schools — many of whom are first-generation college students — and provides financial as well as academic support and faculty/staff mentors. Scholars also participate in community service projects during the summer and throughout the academic year; this summer the incoming class of thirty-four students will donate approximately four hundred hours of community service.

"As a high school student, I faced similar challenges as many of our Bridges to Belmont scholarship recipients," said Milton Johnson, who is now chair and CEO of Hospital Corporation of America. "I was blessed to have people in my life, like my mother, who believed  not only in the value of education but also in my potential. Their encouragement, guidance, and belief in me gave me confidence that with hard work and a scholarship from Belmont, I could achieve greater success than I ever thought was possible....My Belmont scholarship was a life-changing experience for me, and [Denise and I] want other Nashville public high school graduates to have the same opportunities at Belmont. We want these students to know that Belmont believes in them — we believe in them — and there are no limits to what they can achieve in life."