Feature
It’s a Match!
Make a gift and double your impact! This year, the Texas A&M Foundation has allocated $25,000 to match gifts made to the funds featured in this issue.
- Written by Karissa Bayliss '12 '15
- Illustration by Doug Chayka
- Jun. 14, 20217 min read
Funds have been fully utilized for this matching campaign! Whoop!
Matching funds are an easy way to immediately multiply the impact of your donation to Texas A&M University, and they’re not too hard to come by. Many employers will double, triple or even quadruple your charitable donation through a corporate matching program. If that’s not an option for you, matching funds are often available at Texas A&M from other donors.
In this issue, the Texas A&M Foundation offers an exclusive and unique opportunity to take advantage of matching funds yourself! Through 2021 or until $25,000 has been fully matched, the Foundation will match gifts 1:1 toward any of the funds featured in this issue. That means you can immediately double your impact at no extra expense. Minimum donations start at $25, and you can receive a charitable deduction for your personal contribution. Ultimately, your gift toward these eligible funds—no matter the size—will make an immeasurable impact on Texas A&M and its campus, students and Aggie community!
Foster Critical Thinking:
The College of Liberal Arts serves a critical role in each student’s educational journey at Texas A&M. Through core curriculum classes, majors and departments covering the full spectrum of art and science, plus outside-the-classroom experiences focused on developing critical thinkers, the college is foundational to any degree. Rick Rojas ’10, a political science graduate, exemplifies the kind of citizen it produces.
Read his story and learn how he turned his Aggie experience and liberal arts education into a successful career as a New York Times national correspondent. To support hard-working students from the College of Liberal Arts like Rojas, make a gift to the college’s excellence fund at give.am/DeansEndowmentFund.
Support Special Needs Education:
Ranked No. 16 nationally (2020) and No. 8 for best online master’s program (2021) by U.S. News & World Report, the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development prepares Aggies for a variety of educational and community contexts. In particular, the department’s programs in special education equip students to provide support and guidance for individuals most in need. Successful graduates have become special educators, behavior coaches, administrators, counselors and therapists. Paige Ferrell Sanchez ’15 ’17 arguably serves all of those roles.
To make an immediate impact on the program and its aspiring scholars like Alyssa Fenoglio ’03 did through a cash gift, visit give.am/SupportSLS. Plus, check out Fenoglio's story to learn more about her career in health care and continued involvement in Aggieland.
Encourage Aggies Through Scholarships:
Scholarships and fellowships change lives and encourage Aggies to enrich the world in productive and inventive ways. For Juan Dominguez ’21 (read his story), a Brownsville Scholarship financed his dream of attending Texas A&M to study medicine. When he returns to the Rio Grande Valley as a doctor, his donor will not only have made a profound difference in his life but also in the lives of every patient he treats by having enabled his education.
Often, students seek scholarships based on financial need. Scholarships relieve the financial burden of tuition for some of the best high school students, opening them to a world of possibilities. They also free students from the necessity of part-time jobs, allowing them to focus on their studies without the added stress of financing their education. You can give to the Texas A&M Foundation’s general scholarship fund to support Aggies most in need at give.am/StudentScholarship.
Preserve History:
Cushing Memorial Library and Archives is home to Texas A&M’s storied history. In addition to special collections that include rare books, manuscripts, artwork and historical objects, it also houses the University Archives, which tell the story of Aggieland from its founding in 1876 to today. The University Libraries also has the important role of preserving and caring for these historical records and the artifacts it maintains.
The Libraries’ preservation unit includes a book repair area, a digitization lab with state-of-the-art scanning equipment, and a conservation lab with a collections storage and photo documentation room. Simultaneously, the preservation unit works to prevent the deterioration of items. Throughout the year, curious visitors can explore rotating exhibitions at Cushing featuring items from its collections. Read more about how you can visit Cushing firsthand and support its mission by making a gift at give.am/SupportCushing. To support the University Libraries' preservation efforts visit give.am/SupportLibrariesPreservation.
Fight Hunger:
Food insecurity, or the lack of consistent access to adequate food for active and healthy living, is a problem that spans the world, including Aggieland. With up to 30% of Texas A&M students skipping meals or eating less due to insufficient financial resources, inadequate nutrition can translate to higher stress levels, difficulty sleeping and lower grades.
The 12th Can serves as an on-cam-pus food pantry for students, faculty and staff in need of assistance. Completely student-run, its goal is to eliminate hunger at Texas A&M, bring awareness to food insecurity in college communities and show others the power of the Aggie Spirit. To support the 12th Can and its mission, visit give.am/12thCan.
LAUNCH, a division within undergraduate studies, oversees two programs focused on addressing food insecurity in innovative ways. First Year Eats provides students the necessary tools to cook for themselves while living in residence halls, while The Hunger Consortium unites all of Texas A&M’s food insecurity programs through initiatives such as its annual expo on the topic. To read more about these initiatives and other ways that Texas A&M is working to address food insecurity, click here. To support LAUNCH, including its programs like First Year Eats and The Hunger Consortium, visit give.am/LAUNCH.
Develop Future Financial Leaders:
The Texas A&M Financial Planning Program goes beyond simply preparing students to take their certification exam. It instills the values of excellence, integrity, leadership and entrepreneurship in those hoping to pursue a financial planning career. Dr. Nathan Harness, who provides financial wellness tips and advice, has taught students the importance of these values in financial advising since 2014. The program he oversees and the classes he teaches enable students from many backgrounds to become successful certified financial planners.
The Financial Planning Excellence Fund was created to continue developing future leaders through high-impact learning experiences for students interested in financial planning. The fund supports education in financial literacy plus fosters experiences like counseling between peers, hosting national speakers on campus, and sponsoring professional development at conferences throughout the country and visits focused on developing relationships with seasoned financial planners from across the state. You can make a gift at give.am/FinancialPlanExcelFund.
A graduate of the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in special education, Ferrell has taken her skills across the world to Nicaragua to help children with learning disabilities lead fuller lives. Her incredible work represents the Aggie core values of leadership and selfless service in every way. Discover her full story and consider supporting other students like Ferrell through a gift of any size to the Educational Psychology Excellence Fund at give.am/EducationalPsychology.
Advance STEM Education:
With 20 scholars admitted annually, the Science Leadership Scholars program was established in 2016 to provide financial and academic support to high-performing science majors who share common at-risk factors, including being first-generation students from low-income families. Students meet weekly with an advisor and participate in academic workshops to help them acclimate to college. Participants in this tight-knit community are twice as likely to graduate in four years with a STEM degree when compared to peers from similar backgrounds who do not participate. Moreover, their participation doubles their success rate from approximately 35% to more than 70%.
