Getting Into Giving

Creating an endowment through the Texas A&M Foundation is an extremely meaningful form of giving, allowing you to directly support your campus passions for generations. Simply put, an endowment is a perpetual fund that the Foundation invests in its highly diversified long-term investment pool. Each year, a portion of this pool is paid out to the university as an annual distribution to fund the purposes designated by donors.

Established through a minimum $25,000 gift payable over a period of up to five years, endowments allow donors the freedom to specify what their gift supports in Aggieland—scholarships, faculty advancement, campus programs or student activities, for example. The most powerful part? Over time, the annual payout supporting your designated area will exceed the amount of your original gift, making endowments a smart choice for donors like these who want to provide a crucial source of future support for Texas A&M University.
 

DONOR: Betty Settlemeyer

GIFT SUMMARY: Betty worked with Foundation development officer Jansen Merrill ’18 to establish a $25,000 endowment for the Texas Aggie Rodeo Team in honor of its former student president, Laramie Wedemeyer ’23. She was inspired after Laramie hosted her family on a tour of facilities used by all Department of Animal Science competitive teams, where it became evident that some repairs were needed.

Why the rodeo team?

I learned it has historically had little financial backing from the university. After talking with former head coach Dr. Al Wagner ’69, who served in an unpaid, volunteer capacity for nearly three decades, I learned team members are responsible for their housing, finding stables to board their horses, and maintenance of their trucks and trailers as they travel thousands of miles to compete. But despite the lack of formal support, these hardworking students consistently win regional and national championships and represent the university at the highest levels of collegiate rodeo competition.
 

DONORS: Mary ’92 and Rusty Russell

GIFT SUMMARY: Along with her husband, Rusty, Mary Russell ’92 of Tyler, Texas, established a $25,000 scholarship endowment for students who have taken a year or more off between graduating high school and attending college. Mary was a nontraditional student and hopes her gift can provide deserving individuals with the same opportunities she experienced at Texas A&M.

What did your journey to Texas A&M look like?

I came to Texas A&M after deferring a scholarship offer during my senior year of high school, choosing instead to get married and start a family. After obtaining a bachelor’s at The University of Texas at Tyler, I was encouraged by one of my undergraduate professors to continue my studies and obtain my master’s in accounting. I saw it as my second chance to become an Aggie and eventually made my way to College Station as a married woman with a 2-year-old son on my hip.

What motivated you to give?

I didn’t have scholarship support during my undergraduate program, and I realized then that scholarships were geared more toward traditional students. But I couldn’t have made it through Texas A&M without the graduate fellowships I received. I can’t imagine working to support a family while attending Texas A&M today; it feels nearly impossible. Furthermore, I wouldn’t have my career without the mentors and possibilities Texas A&M provided me.