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Jim Parsons was the first in his family to graduate high school and university.

His parents taught him that education is important. “Get your education, and everything will be okay,” Jim recalls his father telling him.

He completed his post-secondary education, eventually graduating with a PhD before coming to teach at the ��������, where he stayed for over 40 years. He started a faith-based PhD program at the U of A, and was involved in many research projects across Canada and around the globe.

Today, Jim writes and teaches part-time at the U of A from his home in Comox, BC.

Years ago, he decided to start two scholarships at the U of A. To do this, he took out two life insurance policies, naming the U of A as the owner and sole beneficiary of each.

One of the policies was cashed in, allowing Jim to put it to use in his lifetime. He’s helping students through the Jim Parsons Leadership Award in Faith-Based Education. He hopes the award recipients know that their studies matter, and that they feel a sense of recognition, knowing that somebody cares enough to support them.

And through his legacy at the U of A, Jim wants to make a meaningful difference by supporting PhD students now and into the future.

“I believe that the world needs help. And as we work together, we have more opportunities. I'm fortunate. And in a million ways, I’m blessed. I want to share those blessings with others. As I encourage my grad students, ‘Don't you want to be involved in something important?’ Who’d say no?”

For Jim, making a difference means communities working together, engaged by their sense of agency, and the belief that we can all make a difference in this world through our service to others.

“I’ve made mistakes in my life. But Erik Erikson, a psychologist, came up with the eight stages of life. And he basically said, in stage eight, when you get to be old, do you look back and say, ‘I did what I could’? I did the best I could. That's my legacy.”