Texas Exes Awards $2.53 Million to 684 Students at Scholarship Dinners

Scholarships are more often than not a nameless, faceless exchange: a donor writes a check, and eventually a student uses that money to fund an education. Not so at the Texas Exes, where our scholarship team makes sure that students and donors get the chance to meet and get to know each other—and grow that check into a meaningful relationship. Case in point: This year’s three annual scholarship dinners, where the Texas Exes awarded a record $2.53 million to 684 students. This year’s awards represent a 33 percent increase over last year. (Get the full scoop on our scholarship program’s record-breaking year in this nifty infographic.) At the dinners—one each for chapter scholarships, named and dedicated scholarships, and the Forty Acres Scholars Program—scholars, donors, and friends met and mingled, as well as listened to moving speeches by recipients whose lives have been changed. Forty Acres Scholars Program Director Kristy Kimball says that her team’s strategic scheduling of the dinners paid off. To increase the number of out-of-town guests who would be able to attend, the team scheduled the dinners to coincide with other major draws—including a home football game and the Chapter Leadership Conference. “We had more donors attend this year than before,” Kimball says. “It was really great to see the students interact with the people who are directly impacting their education.”  Photo by Matt Valentine.  From left: Keimon McDowell, Brittany Blassengill, donor Marilyn White, Andrea Gallardo, and Frank Puente.

Texas Exes Awards $2.53 Million to 684 Students at Scholarship Dinners

Scholarships are more often than not a nameless, faceless exchange: a donor writes a check, and eventually a student uses that money to fund an education. Not so at the Texas Exes, where our scholarship team makes sure that students and donors get the chance to meet and get to know each other—and grow that check into a meaningful relationship. Case in point: This year’s three annual scholarship dinners, where the Texas Exes awarded a record $2.53 million to 684 students. This year’s awards represent a 33 percent increase over last year. (Get the full scoop on our scholarship program’s record-breaking year in this nifty infographic.) At the dinners—one each for chapter scholarships, named and dedicated scholarships, and the Forty Acres Scholars Program—scholars, donors, and friends met and mingled, as well as listened to moving speeches by recipients whose lives have been changed. Forty Acres Scholars Program Director Kristy Kimball says that her team’s strategic scheduling of the dinners paid off. To increase the number of out-of-town guests who would be able to attend, the team scheduled the dinners to coincide with other major draws—including a home football game and the Chapter Leadership Conference. “We had more donors attend this year than before,” Kimball says. “It was really great to see the students interact with the people who are directly impacting their education.”  Photo by Matt Valentine.  From left: Keimon McDowell, Brittany Blassengill, donor Marilyn White, Andrea Gallardo, and Frank Puente.

Texas Exes Awards $2.53 Million to 684 Students at Scholarship Dinners

Scholarships are more often than not a nameless, faceless exchange: a donor writes a check, and eventually a student uses that money to fund an education. Not so at the Texas Exes, where our scholarship team makes sure that students and donors get the chance to meet and get to know each other—and grow that check into a meaningful relationship. Case in point: This year’s three annual scholarship dinners, where the Texas Exes awarded a record $2.53 million to 684 students. This year’s awards represent a 33 percent increase over last year. (Get the full scoop on our scholarship program’s record-breaking year in this nifty infographic.) At the dinners—one each for chapter scholarships, named and dedicated scholarships, and the Forty Acres Scholars Program—scholars, donors, and friends met and mingled, as well as listened to moving speeches by recipients whose lives have been changed. Forty Acres Scholars Program Director Kristy Kimball says that her team’s strategic scheduling of the dinners paid off. To increase the number of out-of-town guests who would be able to attend, the team scheduled the dinners to coincide with other major draws—including a home football game and the Chapter Leadership Conference. “We had more donors attend this year than before,” Kimball says. “It was really great to see the students interact with the people who are directly impacting their education.”  Photo by Matt Valentine.  From left: Keimon McDowell, Brittany Blassengill, donor Marilyn White, Andrea Gallardo, and Frank Puente.

Budget Talking Points

Tier one research universities are engines that power the Texas economy. They benefit all Texans, not just students and employees. The proposed Senate budget cuts UT-Austin appropriations for core academic funding and special items by 10%, which is roughly $48 million. The proposal has moved funding for some special items into grants through the AUF, rather than state appropriations. This is a bad precedent to set, because it lowers the state’s long term investment in higher education. The Senate budget does not include the Dell Medical School in health-related formula funding, only funding it at $1.1, which could result in a loss of more than a $10M. The current proposal could damage our state’s future by continuing the systemic divestment of public higher education. Since 1984, UT-Austin has seen a more than 40% decrease in state funding. We want our students to receive hands-on educational experiences that give them a competitive edge in jobs after college. Public higher education provides an excellent education at a competitive and affordable price. UT-Austin alumni generate $6.2 billion in state income to the Texas economy annually across a broad range of industries that help keep our state competitive. UT-Austin brought more than $1 billion in government research grants to our state over the past two years, which is equal to adding 8,000 new jobs. The proposed budget for UT-Austin is harmful to our state’s workforce and economic vitality. We cannot advance and stay competitive without a well-educated citizenry. All alumni, business leaders, and Texans should be deeply concerned by the proposal being considered in the Senate. It is bad for business and bad for Texas families. President Fenves has made value and affordability major priorities for UT-Austin. The tuition freeze comes just as the legislature is making cuts to funding. This will tie the hands of the university. Companies are moving here precisely because we have a strong, well-educated workforce. We create leaders and build knowledge through research that benefits every corner of our state.  

Budget Talking Points

Tier one research universities are engines that power the Texas economy. They benefit all Texans, not just students and employees. The proposed Senate budget cuts UT-Austin appropriations for core academic funding and special items by 10%, which is roughly $48 million. The proposal has moved funding for some special items into grants through the AUF, rather than state appropriations. This is a bad precedent to set, because it lowers the state’s long term investment in higher education. The Senate budget does not include the Dell Medical School in health-related formula funding, only funding it at $1.1, which could result in a loss of more than a $10M. The current proposal could damage our state’s future by continuing the systemic divestment of public higher education. Since 1984, UT-Austin has seen a more than 40% decrease in state funding. We want our students to receive hands-on educational experiences that give them a competitive edge in jobs after college. Public higher education provides an excellent education at a competitive and affordable price. UT-Austin alumni generate $6.2 billion in state income to the Texas economy annually across a broad range of industries that help keep our state competitive. UT-Austin brought more than $1 billion in government research grants to our state over the past two years, which is equal to adding 8,000 new jobs. The proposed budget for UT-Austin is harmful to our state’s workforce and economic vitality. We cannot advance and stay competitive without a well-educated citizenry. All alumni, business leaders, and Texans should be deeply concerned by the proposal being considered in the Senate. It is bad for business and bad for Texas families. President Fenves has made value and affordability major priorities for UT-Austin. The tuition freeze comes just as the legislature is making cuts to funding. This will tie the hands of the university. Companies are moving here precisely because we have a strong, well-educated workforce. We create leaders and build knowledge through research that benefits every corner of our state.  

Budget Talking Points

Tier one research universities are engines that power the Texas economy. They benefit all Texans, not just students and employees. The proposed Senate budget cuts UT-Austin appropriations for core academic funding and special items by 10%, which is roughly $48 million. The proposal has moved funding for some special items into grants through the AUF, rather than state appropriations. This is a bad precedent to set, because it lowers the state’s long term investment in higher education. The Senate budget does not include the Dell Medical School in health-related formula funding, only funding it at $1.1, which could result in a loss of more than a $10M. The current proposal could damage our state’s future by continuing the systemic divestment of public higher education. Since 1984, UT-Austin has seen a more than 40% decrease in state funding. We want our students to receive hands-on educational experiences that give them a competitive edge in jobs after college. Public higher education provides an excellent education at a competitive and affordable price. UT-Austin alumni generate $6.2 billion in state income to the Texas economy annually across a broad range of industries that help keep our state competitive. UT-Austin brought more than $1 billion in government research grants to our state over the past two years, which is equal to adding 8,000 new jobs. The proposed budget for UT-Austin is harmful to our state’s workforce and economic vitality. We cannot advance and stay competitive without a well-educated citizenry. All alumni, business leaders, and Texans should be deeply concerned by the proposal being considered in the Senate. It is bad for business and bad for Texas families. President Fenves has made value and affordability major priorities for UT-Austin. The tuition freeze comes just as the legislature is making cuts to funding. This will tie the hands of the university. Companies are moving here precisely because we have a strong, well-educated workforce. We create leaders and build knowledge through research that benefits every corner of our state.  

Forty Acres Scholars Finalists Announced, Class of 2022

The Forty Acres Scholars Program has announced an impressive list of 53 finalists for the Class of 2022. From more than 6,400 applications, these high school seniors are exceptional inside and outside of the classroom. Among them are founders of companies and nonprofits, researchers, editors of school newspapers and literary magazines, club founders and presidents, team captains, varsity athletes, and talented dancers and musicians.The finalists hail from around the Lone Star State, in addition to Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and Tennessee. Their academic interests stretch across all disciplines, representing 10 of UT’s undergraduate colleges. From March 1-3, the students will come to Austin for Finalist Weekend, where they will learn more about the campus and the Forty Acres Scholars Program, sit down for interviews, and get a glimpse of what their future life in Austin could look like.

Forty Acres Scholars Finalists Announced, Class of 2022

The Forty Acres Scholars Program has announced an impressive list of 53 finalists for the Class of 2022. From more than 6,400 applications, these high school seniors are exceptional inside and outside of the classroom. Among them are founders of companies and nonprofits, researchers, editors of school newspapers and literary magazines, club founders and presidents, team captains, varsity athletes, and talented dancers and musicians.The finalists hail from around the Lone Star State, in addition to Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and Tennessee. Their academic interests stretch across all disciplines, representing 10 of UT’s undergraduate colleges. From March 1-3, the students will come to Austin for Finalist Weekend, where they will learn more about the campus and the Forty Acres Scholars Program, sit down for interviews, and get a glimpse of what their future life in Austin could look like.

Forty Acres Scholars Finalists Announced, Class of 2022

The Forty Acres Scholars Program has announced an impressive list of 53 finalists for the Class of 2022. From more than 6,400 applications, these high school seniors are exceptional inside and outside of the classroom. Among them are founders of companies and nonprofits, researchers, editors of school newspapers and literary magazines, club founders and presidents, team captains, varsity athletes, and talented dancers and musicians.The finalists hail from around the Lone Star State, in addition to Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and Tennessee. Their academic interests stretch across all disciplines, representing 10 of UT’s undergraduate colleges. From March 1-3, the students will come to Austin for Finalist Weekend, where they will learn more about the campus and the Forty Acres Scholars Program, sit down for interviews, and get a glimpse of what their future life in Austin could look like.