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Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarship |
Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarship
Thunderbird School of Global Management graduate Anetta Hunek talks about the benefits of the Thunderbird Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarship.
The Idea
In 2005 a group of alumni friends in Texas got together and asked themselves a tough question: “How can I make a tangible difference to Thunderbird and see the fruits of my efforts within a couple of years?” At the time, Thunderbird had major financial challenges and new competitors that threatened the school’s very existence.
These alumni were fast friends and had enjoyed each other’s company already over many years. They knew that, beyond the traditional benefits of being members of an alumni organization, the unique shared values of Thunderbird could enable a lot of valuable networking and alumni-to-alumni support. So, they also asked, “How can we help our fellow alumni?”
The Plan
Being in Texas, they thought, “Why not reach out to the Texas alumni chapters and ask them to participate in working toward a common goal? After all, volunteering is hard enough. Why not share the workload as well as the rewards?”
So, it was decided to rally the efforts around a scholarship initiative and fundraising.
Scholarship Objectives
As a result, the following objectives were assembled for the Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund initiative:
- Foster Texas inter-chapter dialogue and cooperation.
- Establish new opportunities for networking and meaningful dialogue among alumni.
- Provide Texas alumni with the opportunity to have a direct and substantial impact on a deserving student.
- Help Thunderbird improve its rankings and improve campus life by attracting the best and brightest students.
- Support the most deserving students.
- Encourage excellent students to choose Thunderbird instead of another school.
The Challenge
Thunderbird embraced the idea, but also stipulated a key requirement: Because it was becoming difficult to manage all the smaller scholarships, the group had to raise a minimum of $100,000 in 2 years to establish an endowed, permanent scholarship. A tall challenge.
With Thunderbird creativity, the group reached out to local alumnus Scott Walker '81, who agreed to match funds up to $50,000. That left another $50,000 to raise to get on the books.
The Competition
Then, another major development: the Hong Kong Chapter challenged Texas to a duel. Who could raise the most in 2 years? The winner would take a picture of the other wearing either a cowboy hat, or a hat from China (the more ridiculous, the better).
The Outcome
The story ends happily. With help from every Texas chapter and generous alumni, the fundraising challenge was met within the 2-year deadline. Contributions continue to come in, and thus far $110,000 has been raised. Texas and Hong Kong dispute who won the initial challenge.
A New Challenge
The end of Campaign Thunderbird is just around the corner, and the school needs your help to successfully reach the $65M goal! All gifts designated to the Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarship count towards the Campaign. Furthermore, as a T-bird, your gift will help in Thunderbird’s effort to raise alumni giving participation to 17% this year. The amount doesn’t matter – even a $5 or $10 gift counts towards the participation goal. Click “Give to Thunderbird” to make a gift today, and don’t forget to designate your gift to the “Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarship.”
Please contact me with any questions about this scholarship and/or alumni networking. We love to help, and have plans to enhance the effort to provide even better alumni support. Coming soon, look for an honor roll of donors, to recognize Thunderbird alumni and friends whose generous contributions make this scholarship possible. Finally, we love fellow volunteers and would welcome your help in enhancing our communications and outreach.
Thank you!
Bart Kohnhorst ‘83
Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarship Chair
1 Global Place, Glendale, AZ 85306-6000
+1 (602) 978-7000 | 800-848-9084 (US)
