Members of the Texas A&M Club of Rockwall County, have donated $25,000 to establish the Karen McKee Woodliff '98 Endowed Scholarship to honor a fellow club member. This scholarship has been established to help incoming freshmen pay for their education at Texas A&M. The one-year scholarship will be awarded to a resident of Rockwall County.

Karen McKee Woodliff, CPA graduated from A&M in 1998 with both bachelor's and master's degrees in sccounting as a part of the Professional Program in Accounting (Group 5).  She has been the treasurer of the Rockwall County A&M Club since 1999, served two terms as its president, and is the current VP of fundraising (golf tournament coordinator).  In 2008, Karen was honored by the club with an A&M Endowed Scholarship in her name.  She has been a member of the Century Club and 12th Man Foundation since 1998; including a football season ticket holder for 8 out of the past 10 years.  She is also a charter member of the Women’s Former Student Network.  Karen is the CFO of a municipal bond underwriter in Dallas and runs a tax preparation business out of her home.  She and her husband, Jason, along with their daughter, Madelyn, reside in her hometown of Rockwall.

The scholarship came about from proceeds from the club’s scholarship golf rournament.  In June of 2008, the club held its 21st annual tournament.  Each year the club raises in excess of $13,000 to use towards scholarships.  In addition to its annual graduating senior scholarship (started in 1987) that provides $8,000 to graduating Rockwall County High School seniors for studies at Texas A&M, since 1998 the club has sent $135,000 to Texas A&M to create 5 Endowed Scholarships:  Duke '60 & Sue Burnett Endowed Scholarship; Jim '60 & Beth Coker Endowed Corp Scholarship; Clarence '65 & Leigh Plagens Endowed Scholarship; Tom & Margaret Davidson '78 Endowed Scholarship; and Karen McKee Woodliff '98 Endowed Scholarship.

The Texas A&M Foundation helps former students, friends, corporations and other non-profit organizations direct contributions to specific academic and leadership programs. Its asset managers ensure that endowments like the Rockwall County Texas A&M Club Endowed Scholarship retain or grow in value over time so that Aggies will benefit well into the future.

Donors may direct their gifts to an existing scholarship fund or design and name their own scholarship. Scholarships can be set up as endowments, which are designed to provide funds in perpetuity. Donors may also choose to fund a non-endowed scholarship, in which the gift provides the scholarship stipend on a one-time basis.