A $25,000 goal was surpassed halfway through NI's five-year "Scholarship for Excellence" campaign. The current total is $25,864, and contributions are still arriving from Texas A&M former students and friends employed by the Austin-based technology pioneer.

"National Instruments is one of our most important corporate partners in our efforts to enhance academic excellence in engineering at Texas A&M," said Dr. Jo Howze, associate dean of engineering for academic programs. "We are most appreciative of this scholarship that will help recipients to excel in their preparation for engineering careers."

Personal gifts for the scholarship, to be funded through the Texas A&M Foundation, will be doubled through NI's one-to-one matching program.

"Aggies are a great match with the NI culture and work ethic because of the common values we share, which is demonstrated by the fact that Texas A&M is one of our top sources of new talent each year. We are proud to be able to support fellow Aggies demonstrating excellence in leadership and academics," said Craig Reynolds, NI Aggie Scholarship Committee chair and R&D Employee Development manager.

Recipients of the National Instruments Scholarship for Excellence must be full-time students classified as juniors or seniors with a minimum GPR of 3.5. Leadership in campus or community activities is required. Preference is given to students pursuing biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, engineering technology or mechanical engineering degrees.

"The support of so many NI employees is yet another indication of the strong partnership between Texas A&M and National Instruments," said Steve Blomstedt, director of development for engineering with the Texas A&M Foundation.

NI is a leader in virtual instrumentation, with more than 3,900 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past seven years, FORTUNE magazine has named the company one of the 100 best to work for in America.

NI's support for engineering at Texas A&M spans almost two decades. Previous gifts include a $51,000 grant and six Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite (ELVIS) systems for teaching labs. The company annually hosts a National Instruments Day for engineering students on the Texas A&M campus where NI employees discuss the company's opportunities and products with students while executives tour laboratories and meet with faculty.

The Dwight Look College of Engineering, housing 12 departments and over 8,800 students, is ranked 8th in both undergraduate and graduate studies among public universities in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report.