Arthur C. & Mildred Wimer Scholarship

The Arthur C. & Mildred Wimer Scholarship will provide scholarship support Journalism students in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.

To apply for this scholarship, submit a General Application.

If you do not meet all of these requirements in a given term, you may lose your scholarship eligibility and your scholarship may be canceled.

Requirements:

• Recipients must be Journalism majors.
• Recipients must be studying and planning a career in print or broadcast journalism.
• Undergraduate students are not required to be enrolled full-time.
• Graduate students are not required to be enrolled full-time.

Donor Profile:

Jim and Barbara Hartung, proud San Diego State College (SDSC) alumni, shared a deep and enduring connection with the university. Their lifelong commitment included generous donations, scholarships honoring loved ones and influential professor Arthur Wimer, and decades of service to the SDSU community.

Jim, born in Hollywood and raised in San Diego, was industrious from a young age—working various jobs before adulthood. He attended San Diego High School and graduated from SDSC in 1954 with a B.S. in Accounting. A Delta Sigma Phi fraternity member and avid cyclist, Jim went on to serve two years in the U.S. Army as a radio interceptor in Korea. Upon returning, he began working as an insurance agent, where he met Barbara Wolter. They were engaged on Valentine’s Day 1959 and married that June.

They built a life together in San Diego, raising two children James Jr. and Kathleen. Jim started a banking career in 1966, working for Security Pacific National Bank and later Scripps Bank, eventually retiring in 2000. Not one to sit idle, he worked briefly for Cuyamaca Bank until retiring for good in 2001. He was active in community groups like the Optimists and Rotary Club.

Barbara, born in Redlands and raised in San Diego, graduated from Hoover High School and earned her journalism degree from SDSC in 1956. She was editor of The Aztec newspaper (now The Daily Aztec) and a member of Alpha Phi sorority. Her early career was dedicated to the San Diego Union (now The San Diego Union-Tribune), where she worked as a reporter for a decade.

Barbara stepped away from journalism to raise their children, during which she earned an M.S. in Mass Communication (1976) from San Diego State University (SDSU; formerly SDSC) and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Human Behavior (1980) from United States International University. Barbara returned to SDSU for a distinguished 25-year career, serving as professor, chair of the journalism department, and executive assistant to two university presidents. She was known for her ability to build bridges across departments and for her involvement in groups such as the Mortar Board Alumni Chapter, Phi Beta Delta, Black Student Journalists’ Association, and the Centennial Planning Committee.

Barbara’s contributions earned her numerous awards, including the SDSU Distinguished University Service Award (2002), the Mortar Board National Alumni Achievement Award, and Alpha Phi’s Ursa Major Award. In retirement, she remained active in the SDSU Retirement Association, Lemon Grove Rotary Club, ARCS Foundation, and the Wednesday Club of San Diego.

Together, Jim and Barbara embraced retirement. Jim tended his beloved garden, while Barbara pursued her passion for travel. A memorable highlight was their 2009 round-the-world cruise, celebrating 50 years of marriage.

Jim and Barbara passed away peacefully at home, just seven months apart in 2024 and 2025, surrounded by their loving family. Their legacy of service, education, and dedication to SDSU endures through the lives they touched and the students they continue to support.