Texas A&M Exceeds $300 Million Fundraising Goal

Shaking off the economic gloom trumpeted in headlines, Texas A&M University supporters helped the school surpass its $300 million fundraising goal for scholarships and graduate-student fellowships.

During August, the Texas A&M Foundation recorded scholarship and fellowship gifts that buoyed Operation Spirit and MindSM past its $300 million goal.

“Texas A&M graduates and other donors have been amazingly loyal and generous despite the uncertainty of the recession,” said Ed Davis, president of the Texas A&M Foundation, the nonprofit organization that led the Operation Spirit and Mind^SM fundraising initiative for the university. “Their scholarships and fellowships make the university affordable each year for hundreds of Aggies who otherwise might be unable to experience the outstanding academics, impeccable values and unique traditions that A&M holds so dear.

“Even though a Texas A&M education is a great value relative to many other schools, university figures tell us that A&M graduates who take out student loans end up owing an average of more than $22,000, a substantial debt for someone just beginning a career. Operation Spirit and Mind donors are reducing that amount for many Aggies.”

Kyle Richter '10 created an endowed scholarship in mechanical engineering during Operation Spirit and Mind.

Individuals, foundations and corporations steadily gave to the initiative, which raised $308.2 million between Jan. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2011.

Cash, stocks and real estate comprised the majority of contributions, about $198.6 million. After-lifetime gifts of more than $109.6 million allow contributors to use their assets as needed today while helping Texas A&M in the future.

Longtime supporters such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Aggie Mothers’ Clubs, Texas A&M Clubs and individual graduating classes again dug deep to help Aggies. Many contributors began their legacy of giving back during this initiative, including Kyle M. Richter, a Class of 2010 graduate who started funding his endowed scholarship in mechanical engineering this summer.

A&M donors cited many reasons for supporting Operation Spirit and Mind.

Craig C. Brown, a 1975 graduate who is President and Chairman of the Board of the Craig and Galen Brown Foundation of Houston, said his organization’s recent gift — funding up to 70 scholarships annually — will help Aggies “make a significant difference now and in the future. ... Brown Scholars understand and practice the philosophy of the Brown Foundation: ‘In life, it is not what you take with you, but what you leave behind that counts.’ ”

Elyse and Russell White '93 hope their PES will recruit high-caliber students to A&M.

Gifts from a similar organization, the Terry Foundation, “help young people to help themselves.” The Terry Foundation, which funds scholarships that assist Texas high school graduates in developing their leadership talent, has 52 new scholars for the 2011-12 academic year and a total of 206 on campus.

Several President’s Endowed Scholarship (PES) recipients said they felt a personal responsibility to fund their own scholarships. Russell White, Class of 1993, said he always considered his PES to be “an unpaid debt, perhaps a debt of gratitude” and added that funding a scholarship with his wife, Elyse White ’93, was his way to fulfill that obligation. Bradley Worsham, a 1988 graduate, hopes his PES “will bring high-caliber students to A&M who might not otherwise come here.”

Jodi Schlather, who worked to set up the Class of 1994’s endowed scholarship, said she and her classmates “love A&M and wanted to make it more affordable for someone else to fall in love with it as well.”

Ann and Ray Huffines '74 created a scholarship that will support disabled veterans or the children of military person- nel killed or disabled in the line of duty.

Similarly, Nolan A. O’Neal ’82 said he and his wife, Denise, created their Regents’ Scholarship, which targets first-generation college students, because they “hope to see someone who has the capability to succeed at Texas A&M University — but is short in resources — experience the joy and benefits of being an Aggie.”

Ray S. Huffines, Class of 1974, and his wife, Ann, structured their scholarship to assist veterans. “We were thinking about the servicemen and women who are killed or injured while serving their country. We wanted to show our gratitude for what they do.” The couple’s scholarship helps disabled veterans or the children of military personnel killed or disabled in the line of duty.

The family of Cory Monzingo '11 endow- ed a scholarship in his memory.

Many donors honored the memory of loved ones by creating Operation Spirit and Mind scholarships. “The scholarship has really helped our healing,” said Jeff Monzingo, father of Cory Monzingo ’11, who died of cancer before earning his degree. “It’s something Cory would have liked. He was a loyal Aggie. ... A&M was the only school Cory applied to.”

Although Operation Spirit and Mind has officially accomplished its original target, the need for private support of Aggie academics continues. State appropriations cover only about 25 percent of the university’s budget, and tuition and fees climbed steadily in recent years. 

In addition to raising funds for scholarships and graduate fellowships, the Texas A&M Foundation encourages private support for faculty recruiting, retention and research; facilities, equipment and operations; and various academic and student-leadership programs. The Foundation also manages the university’s private endowment.

If you’re interested in supporting Texas A&M academics, contact Carl Jaedicke at (800) 392-3310. To make an after-lifetime gift through a bequest, gift annuity, retirement asset, etc., contact Glenn Pittsford at (800) 392-3310.