Make a Gift to the Mary Jo Weale Fund for Excellence in Interior Design, an endowed fund to support the advancement of Interior Design education at FSU in honor of Mary Jo Weale, who propelled the degree program to national recognition more than 50 years ago.

Department Founder · Founding Chair · Teacher · Mentor · Friend

Dr. Mary Jo Weale was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Home Economics. She arrived in Tallahassee in 1962, where she received a Master's Degree and PhD. From Florida State University.

A watercolor artist since childhood, Dr. Weale continued painting throughout her life and devoted full time to this passion upon her retirement from FSU. She received numerous awards and was the feature of many magazine and newspaper articles. Dr. Weale was a watercolor consultant for Disney and instrumental in establishing the Tallahassee Watercolor Society and Ten Artists Limited.

Cementing the Foundation

Weale’s vision of a rigorous, nationally recognized program in Interior Design was realized in 1973 when FSU acknowledged the program as a Department and aligned it with the School of Visual Arts. Weale served as the program’s Founding Chair.

In 1975, the program was accredited by FIDER (now CIDA), which had just been established in 1970. At the time, FSU’s Interior Design program was one of only a few in the United States to achieve accreditation, a major draw for prospective students who applied to FSU from across the country to earn an Interior Design degree from an accredited program. The program has had continuous accreditation since.

The foundation built by Dr. Weale launched hundreds of FSU Alumni into successful interior design degrees and propelled the Department into national recognition.

About the Endowment

Endowments allow academic leadership a dependable stream of income for the purpose outlined in the fund’s gift agreement. The basic plan underlying an endowed fund is simple—the principal of the fund is never spent. Instead, the principal is invested, and the earnings are used to fulfill the purpose(s) for which the fund was created.

In this way, an endowment creates a legacy of support.

BE PART OF MARY JO’s LEGACY · MAKE A GIFT TODAY