Investing in Austin College

Annual Giving

Why Give to Austin College?

At Austin College, every gift makes a difference. Annual support from the College’s alumni and friends touches all academic areas, enriches the co-curricular experience, assists students with financial need, and provides resources for the greatest priorities of the College. These gifts are
crucial in supporting Austin College’s commitment to both excellence and access for talented young men and women, regardless of their financial means.

What does your annual gift support?

• Austin College’s top priority is increasing the availability of scholarships—which means greater access for families who understand the value of an Austin College education but do not have the resources to pay for it without accumulating significant debt.

• Support for Athletic Enrichment ensures funding for student athletes with an emphasis on travel expenses, uniforms, equipment needs, and improvements to athletic venues 

• Unrestricted gifts provide yearly support for the College’s programs—from academic departments to the Service Station to laboratory supplies

The Austin College President’s Circle is a premier recognition society for donors of $1,000 or more annually, and membership in the President’s Circle represents a commitment to directly impact the lives of students. The resources made available through these gifts support the distinctive features and value of an Austin College education.

Austin College Annual Recognition Societies

Century Club – Gifts of $100-$999

President’s Circle

• GOLD Associates (donors age 34 or younger) – $500 or more
• Annual Associates – $1,000-4,999
• John D. Moseley Associates – $5,000-$24,999
• Daniel Baker Society – $25,000 or more

Loyalty Society – Support of the College for five or more consecutive years President’s Circle members receive this distinctive “Chrome ’Roo” in recognition of their gifts.

The NOW Scholarship Campaign

How a Scholarship Changes the World

Since 1849, Austin College has maintained an unwavering commitment to the transformative power of a liberal education—an environment defined by academic depth and breadth, strong faculty-student relationships, and experiential learning on campus and abroad.

Today’s students have been affected by economic change: more students coming to college need financial help, and those who have always needed help need more.

More than 60 percent of students at Austin College qualify for need based assistance, and one-quarter of the student body has high financial need—often the greatest barrier to entrance, as well as the greatest challenge to persistence to graduation.

The NOW Scholarship Campaign is the most ambitious scholarship fundraising effort in Austin College history, supporting the College’s top priority of providing more financial aid for academically talented students and for those with unmet need.

The College envisions raising $3.65 million in new gifts during the next three years—helping hundreds of students access Austin College and fulfill their potential as world-changers, while reducing their future debt as they enter the workforce in a variety of professions.

The Future is Wide Open

Could a scholarship gift change the world? That’s the promise of the NOW Scholarship Campaign. Every young person who comes to Austin College has the potential to change the world; preparing these students as engaged citizens for a global community is at the heart of the College’s mission.

of students qualify for federal financial aid, and of those, 25 percent of students are Pell grant-eligible—the highest designation of financial need by the U.S. Department of Education

of students receive some form of financial aid—scholarships, government grants, or institutional need-based aid

Campaign Scope and Goals

Increasing sponsored scholarships

The NOW Scholarship Campaign aims to establish 350 new sponsored scholarships each year—a minimum of $1,050,000 annually during the three-year campaign timeline—equivalent to awarding a $3,000 scholarship to every incoming freshman. These funds would assist both middle-income students who don’t benefit from federal aid and high-need students who often have no resources to close the gap toward tuition costs.

Building dynamic donor-student relationships

A sponsored scholarship requires a minimum commitment of $3,000 annually for four years—supporting a student throughout his or her college career. Sponsored scholarship donors will be linked to a student, providing an opportunity to develop a meaningful connection between donor and recipient.

Growing the NOW Scholarship Fund

Raising an additional $500,000 annually in new gifts to the NOW Scholarship Fund—an unrestricted fund for both need and merit-based scholarships—also will help families who are struggling to pay for college. The NOW Fund will impact hundreds of students whose dreams depend on a responsive financial aid program.

Supporting recruitment of a talented and diverse student body

Scholarships are critical to providing access for students from all backgrounds to enter the college of their choice. Austin College has a longstanding commitment to nurturing a talented community of students of economic, religious, racial, and cultural diversity.

For more information on scholarship gifts or other opportunities for support, contact the Austin College Office of Development at 903.813.2419 or development@austincollege.edu.