Like his mother, Jim Schwarz has an extraordinary knack for remembering the details that matter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a house painter and a working mom with a photographic memory, Jim was inspired by her sharp intellect. Her gift for detail was so remarkable that even in her 90s, she could still recite poems she learned in high school.

Jim vividly remembers the name of the scholarship that allowed him to be the first in his family to graduate from college, the names of all his close friends from high school and college, and every art gallery he’s ever visited. So, it’s no surprise he clearly remembers the moment he decided to establish a scholarship at New Mexico State.

“I was working at Quatro Corporation, and we wanted to set up a scholarship for engineering students. We reached out to a couple of other universities and never heard back — but NMSU jumped at the opportunity,” he says. “NMSU is a great university, and for New Mexico residents, it’s a tremendous value.”

Although Jim didn’t attend NMSU himself — he graduated from St. Louis University and started his career at Boeing the next week — he’s called New Mexico home for five decades. After four years at Boeing, he joined Braddock, Dunn, and McDonald in Albuquerque and later transitioned to Quatro and Quasar International, both New Mexico start-ups.

Now, Jim’s connection to NMSU runs deep. Two of his three children and three of his grandchildren are proud Aggies. “They loved their time at NMSU,” he shares, though he acknowledges that college is more challenging now, with rising tuition and the pressure to select a marketable degree.

“It’s just as important for kids today to build self-confidence as it is to choose the right major,” Jim says. Drawing from his own journey in engineering, he recognizes the growing need for talented engineers in today’s world. This inspired a generous gift to establish the Schwarz Family Engineering Scholarship. Designed with flexibility, the fund supports undergraduate or graduate students in electrical or mechanical engineering, helping the university address students’ greatest needs.

“A former boss once told me, ‘It’s not as important that you make the right decision, but that you learn to make your decisions right,’” he says. “I think I made the decision right by giving back to NMSU students.”