As the cost of a college education continues to rise each year, offering scholarship support has become one of the main ways to attract and retain the best and brightest students to the University of Houston, the College of Technology and its programs. During the Technology Philanthropy Awards on October 10, the generosity of donors who understand the priority of scholarship support was recognized, and scholarship recipients for the year were introduced.
"Sometimes, the scholarship award is what allows the student to continue his or her coursework without interruption or distraction. Many times, the opportunity to receive a scholarship is the deciding factor for an incoming or transfer student in selecting UH over another institution," said Dean William E. Fitzgibbon during the awards program.
Attendees heard from scholarship recipient Jasmine Berry, a junior retailing and consumer science major, on how receiving funding has impacted her experience at UH.
"Without this scholarship, I wouldn't be working toward a career in retailing and consumer science. I am extremely grateful to help with college finances. And, I am overjoyed and excited about being surrounded by likeminded and creative people to inspire me along the way," said Berry, a recipient of the Anthis-Calicutt-Gore Scholarship. The scholarship is funded from one of the college's longest standing endowments, founded with the university in 1978.
"In our college, we are fortunate to have donors at all levels that have recognized the role student scholarships play in educating our future workforce and have chosen this as the direction for their philanthropic gifts, said Lisa Burns, director of development. "Whether you are a donor to our general scholarship fund, or have established an operational or endowed scholarship fund, we are grateful for the support," she said.
The College of Technology was able to award $84,000 in scholarships to students. Awards range from $250 to $5,000 to students in majors across the three departments: Engineering Technology, Human Development and Consumer Sciences, and Information and Logistics Technology.
While the College of Technology scholarship program continues to grow, there is still a tremendous need for additional funding. Currently, only about two percent of the college's 3700 students receive scholarship funding.