Sweet Briar’s Josie Flannery joins VFIC’s inaugural Presidential Scholars cohort

Sweet Briar College student Josie Flannery ’29 has been named to the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges’ first Presidential Scholars cohort. The program pairs scholarship support with mentorship and leadership development for one rising second-year student at each of VFIC’s 17 member schools.

Why it matters: - The VFIC Presidential Scholars Program gives selected students financial support, mentorship, and access to statewide leadership networks. - The inaugural cohort is meant to help build values-based leaders across Virginia’s independent colleges and universities. - Josie Flannery’s selection puts a Sweet Briar student in a new program tied to future leadership opportunities and experiential learning.

What happened: - Sweet Briar College’s Josie Flannery ’29 was selected for the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges’ inaugural cohort of Presidential Scholars. - VFIC created the statewide program to recognize one exceptional rising second-year student from each of its 17 member institutions. - College or university presidents chose the scholars based on leadership, service, and community impact. - VFIC President Locke Ogens said the program reflects a belief that leadership grounded in ethics, service, and responsibility is essential to the Commonwealth’s future.

The details: - Flannery is from Barboursville, Virginia. - Flannery serves on the student government’s Inter-Club Council, which supports and guides student clubs and organizations. - Flannery competes on Sweet Briar’s National Collegiate Equestrian Association and Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association teams. - In February, Flannery earned Reserve High Point Rider honors at the IHSA Region 4 Zone 4 Final. - The Sweet Briar team earned Reserve High Point Team at the same event. - Each VFIC Presidential Scholar receives a $10,000 annual scholarship for up to three years. - Scholars also receive mentorship from their college or university president. - The package includes leadership seminars and statewide networking with business, government, and nonprofit leaders. - Scholars will also get a fully funded experiential learning opportunity, such as study abroad, an internship, or a research project. - Funding for the program comes from Bonnie and Wick Moorman. - President Mary Pope M. Hutson ’83 said the program is a transformational opportunity and called Flannery a natural fit for the inaugural cohort. - VFIC was established in 1952 and represents Virginia’s independent colleges and universities.

Between the lines: - The program links scholarship money to leadership development, signaling that VFIC wants to reward both academic potential and civic responsibility. - Sweet Briar is using Flannery’s selection to underscore its student leadership model, where leadership starts before graduation. - The statewide cohort could create a long-term alumni network across Virginia’s independent colleges and beyond.

What’s next: - Flannery will join other scholars from across Virginia in cohort-based leadership programming. - She will participate in mentoring, seminars, networking, and an experiential learning experience through the program. - VFIC expects the cohort to grow into a statewide network of alumni prepared to contribute across industries and communities.

The bottom line: - Flannery’s selection brings Sweet Briar into a new leadership pipeline that combines funding, mentorship, and public-service training.