$251,000 in new scholarship funds made available by President Romo

Outstanding undergraduate and graduate students throughout UTSA’s two academic campuses were awarded some $251,000 in new scholarship and fellowship funding for 2005-2006 that President Ricardo Romo commited from the University Excellence Fund. The two-year-old fund receives the unrestricted proceeds from the annual fall President’s Scholarship and Awards Dinner.

Presidential Scholarship allocations were made for 2005-2006 to the Division of Student Affairs, the colleges of Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Liberal and Fine Arts, Public Policy, and Sciences and the School of Architecture. Student Affairs received $26,000, and the major academic units were awarded from $10,000 to $35,000, depending on enrollment.

The Graduate School was awarded $25,000 for Presidential Dissertation Fellowships, and plans are to offer five awards of $5,000 on a competitive basis. "We are delighted and grateful that the President has allocated these funds to assist doctoral candidates who have worked extremely hard to reach the final step in earning their degree, completion of their dissertation projects," said Dr. Dorothy Flannagan, dean of the Graduate School.

When the University Excellence Fund was created in 2003 in conjunction with the first President’s Scholarship and Awards Dinner, Dr. Romo noted, "As state appropriations for higher education decrease, private philanthropy is even more crucial to UTSA’s goal to become the state’s next research university. Such generosity will make a difference in the lives of our students and in the life of this growing university."

Dr. Bill Baker, interim dean of the College of Sciences, echoed those thoughts. Of his college’s Presidential Scholarships, he noted, “These funds will allow us to recruit and retain outstanding students into the College of Sciences...students who will elevate the entire UTSA student body by their presence and participation."

President Romo has given deans the leeway to decide how the scholarship funds can best benefit their college or school, whether for continuing student awards or for recruiting other outstanding students, and Dr. Dan Gelo of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts has committed his Presidential Scholarships to new graduate students. "This allocation gives COLFA a terrific opportunity to help promising UTSA  seniors make the leap into our graduate programs," he said.

Dr. Lynda de la Viña, dean of the College of Business, expressed her appreciation for the new scholarship funds. "The College of Business is extremely grateful for the creation of the Presidential Scholarships by President Ricardo Romo," she said. "These awards will allow our undergraduate and graduate students to be recognized at the highest level of the university for their academic accomplishments."

For more Giving news, visit http://www.utsa.edu/development/news.