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How Jennifer and Kamal Ariss ’83 ’87 Use a Blended Giving Strategy to Support Aggieland

The couple is combining current and after-lifetime gifts to create scholarships for multiple Texas A&M University colleges.

By Dorian Martin ’06

Photography by Jason Kindig

Kamal Ariss ’83 ’87 has always been passionate about supporting Aggieland and began giving to numerous university programs soon after graduation. But like many Aggies, the first-generation student didn’t feel comfortable making larger gifts until he was more established in his career.

Now, as president of the project management firm Woodway Enterprises, he and his wife, Jennifer, have pursued a blended giving strategy over the past five years. By committing a planned gift through their estate and using current assets to fund three endowments today, they’re ultimately supporting six scholarships for first-generation Aggies as well as architecture majors.
 

By utilizing both current and planned gifts to fund scholarships, Jennifer and Kamal Ariss ’83 ’87 are amplifying their impact on Aggie students.

You began with an estate gift in 2020. Why?

I’ve always considered Texas A&M University my second home, and it was important for me to give back financially while also being actively involved. My participation on various college boards and committees—including the College of Architecture Dean’s Advisory Board and the Dean’s Development Council for the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts (PVFA)—opened our eyes to the big picture of what a difference private gifts make. We realized there is a strong need to provide planned gifts that will aid the university and its students in the future, and the Texas A&M Foundation’s team helped us understand how to designate three scholarships in our will to accomplish that.

Why did you later commit three more scholarships to be funded with assets during your lifetime?

We wanted our gifts to benefit Aggies today, and the more we worked with the Foundation, the more we learned that there are so many ways to customize how you give and support areas that you’re passionate about. In our case, that means supporting first-generation students in engineering, architecture and PVFA as well as architecture students participating in education abroad programs. We’re also supporting our passion for helping hungry students get proper nutrition with a monthly gift to pocket pantries for architecture and PVFA students.

How did you personalize your gifts to add meaning?

My family has lived overseas in Greece, France and Lebanon, and I studied abroad in Italy in 1983, so I realize what a big difference travel makes. I love that two of our scholarships will expose students to travel, giving them a broader world perspective and the chance to make friends for life. Additionally, one of our scholarships is named after my mother and grandfather. This gift mirrors their respective passions—my mother for first-generation students and my grandfather for engineering. It creates an everlasting legacy in their memories.
 

 

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