The University of Texas at Austin will hold its annual dinner March 27, hosted by President Bill Powers, to recognize 35 newly established Endowed Presidential Scholarships and Fellowships benefiting students in a range of disciplines.
These merit-based student awards rank among the most notable and prestigious for UT Austin students, who are nominated by their academic departments or selected by a presidentially appointed scholarship committee. Recipients must have a high grade-point average, be involved in extracurricular activities and demonstrate leadership qualities.
Recent UT Austin graduate Alex Haecker was awarded an Endowed Presidential Scholarship during his final three semesters at the university before becoming a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth.
“I am grateful to have been a recipient of these funds during my senior year in aerospace engineering,” Haecker said. “It allowed me to focus and succeed on my senior design project while also participating fully in the Longhorn Band.”
The University of Texas Development Board established the Endowed Presidential Scholarship program in 1973 to provide merit-based scholarship support to outstanding UT Austin students. Nine scholarships were awarded during the first year, and since then the program has grown substantially. Endowed Presidential Fellowships were added in 1997 to recognize and support exceptional graduate students. About 1,550 undergraduate and graduate students received support from nearly 1,000 named endowments in the 2013-14 academic year.
Donors fund the scholarships at a minimum of $50,000 and the fellowships at a $100,000 minimum. The interest from these funds provides stipends of at least $2,500 for scholarships and at least $3,500 for fellowships.
Those interested in funding an endowment can learn more at giving.utexas.edu.
