The University of Texas at Austin will hold its annual dinner on Thursday, April 4, 2013, in recognition of newly established Endowed Presidential Scholarships and Fellowships. The university welcomes 42 new endowments this year 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. Priority is also given to students not already receiving substantial scholarship support.
UT Austin President Bill Powers will host students, alumni and friends at the dinner. Speakers will also include Vice President for Student Affairs Gage Paine and scholarship recipients past and present.
“As a longtime educator and dean at The University of Texas before becoming its president, I know firsthand the tremendous importance of Endowed Presidential Scholarships and Fellowships, which reward our very best students,” Powers said. “Students of this caliber make for a richer, more stimulating academic environment, both for their classmates and our faculty. Our generous alumni and friends who support this program are crucial to what we’re trying to achieve for the state of Texas, and we’re very grateful.”
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 the first year, and since then the program has grown substantially. Endowed Presidential Fellowships were added in 1977 to recognize and support exceptional graduate students.
Donors fund the scholarships at a minimum of $50,000 and the fellowships at a $100,000 minimum. The scholarships carry stipends of at least $2,500, the fellowships at least $3,500. More than 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students received support from more than 900 named endowments in the 2012-13 academic year.
