Through the third quarter of 2009, Texas A&M University had raised about $185.6 million of the $300 million fundraising goal set for the Operation Spirit and Mind^SM scholarship initiative.

The Texas A&M Foundation, a private nonprofit organization that solicits and manages investments in Texas A&M academics and leadership programs, reports that Operation Spirit and Mind 2009 contributions totaled $49.4 million through Sept. 30.

Of that total, $28. 2 million represents current gifts, which include cash, stock and corporate matching funds. The remaining $21.2 million came in the form of planned gifts such as bequests and trusts that will be realized after the donors’ lifetimes.

Operation Spirit and Mind began Jan. 1, 2007, and was formally launched in October 2008. During 2007, the initiative raised $60.6 million. During 2008, the total was $75.5 million.

Operation Spirit and Mind will create hundreds of endowed scholarships and graduate fellowships. This financial assistance for Aggies aims to give Texas A&M an advantage in recruiting the highest-caliber and most diverse undergraduate and graduate students.

To learn more about Operation Spirit and Mind scholarships, contact Jody Ford ’99 at (800) 392-3310 or fund-a-scholarship@tamu.edu.