An important message for alumni of The Daily Texan, and supporters of student journalism at the University of Texas at Austin
From Board of Directors, Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc.
Today we are asking you to join our effort to fund annual and fully endowed scholarships for student journalists at the 123-year-old Daily Texan, the most award-winning student newspaper in the nation.
Fully endowed scholarships will insure that the grants live on in perpetuity, long after we are gone.
Five years ago the Friends group provided a $1,500 scholarship to a deserving Texan staffer. This year scholarships totaling $15,000 were awarded to 11 staff members. And in 2024 that amount will grow to $21,000 with the addition of two additional, significant and fully endowed scholarships. Details on those donors and scholarships will be announced in coming weeks.
Thirty-six students have received financial assistance to date.
Associate photo editor Julius Shieh receives his check at the 2023 Daily Texan Hall of Fame gathering.
Yes, these numbers show that the Friends group and its supporters and donors are doing well in directly assisting students at The Texan.
But there is more that can be done, and it is also critically important to insure the perpetuity of these grants. (To fully endow an annual grant of $2,500 a year, an endowment of $50,000 is required.)
Half of our grants are not endowed and continue each year due to the kindness of donors and the fundraising efforts of the Friends of The Texan. The Friends of The Daily Texan believes that is not a sustainable model, and that all existing scholarships should be fully endowed. That is the only guarantee that all of these scholarships will continue into the future.
The Friends board has committed to raising, with the help of supporters of The Daily Texan, $300,000 before the end of 2023.
You may donate here: https://friendsofthedailytexan.com/donations/
Reaching the goal will:
- Fully endow all existing scholarships and provide an avenue of further growth to add more grants.
- Provide a small cushion for growth to provide annual increases to scholarships as needed
- And, most importantly, show our support for The Texan, and guarantee that this financial aid will outlive us all, and be a tangible example of alumni support.
How important are these grants to students? Here’s what some recipients say:
- “Without the generous scholarship from the Friends of the Daily Texan, I could not have afforded to work as a permanent staff member. As I prepare to graduate and start applying to jobs, I feel so much more confident thanks to my time at The Daily Texan.”
- “I couldn’t be more grateful for the Friends of the Daily Texan’s investment in my career and studies as well as all the support they’ve given to the many other students who’ve worked at the Daily Texan.”
- “Receiving the $1,500 Friends of The Daily Texan scholarship was beyond helpful for me as a first-generation, non-traditional student. Working at the Texan is not easy sometimes, and I don’t think any student there could say they are there for the money. But we do it because we love it, and we want to continue being the best college newspaper in the country. I’m extremely grateful to the members of the Friends of The Daily Texan for offering this financial support to the immensely talented students that make the basement operate.”
- “My scholarships from the Friends of The Daily Texan were lifesavers for my family, which spent more than $10,000 on medical bills while I was at UT to address my health problems and reset my life back to the way it was. I was so thankful that, through the generous support of the Friends, I didn’t have to live in fear that my career was over.”
A donation of any size is greatly appreciated.
If you prefer to not donate, you can still be of assistance by sharing this message and spreading the word to others who support student journalism.
All funds received are deposited into an endowment account in the Friends name with UT Development.
Reach out with any questions here: friendsofthetexan@gmail.com
Please, support this generation, and future generations of student journalists at The Daily Texan.
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About Friends sof The Daily Texan, Inc.
Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, established to lend support and assistance to The Daily Texan, an institution at the University of Texas at Austin since 1900.
In addition to connecting the large community of Daily Texan alumni, the group provides financial support for items of need for The Texan, including scholarship grants for Texan staffers, funding of the digital infrastructure of The Daily Texan website, financial assistance for creation of a complete digital library of all copies of The Texan, camera and video equipment, fund-raising campaigns that benefit The Texan and Texas Student Media, technology needs, seminars and conferences, training, special projects, event coverage and more.
Members include alumni of The Texan, plus other supporters of a free and unfettered student media at UT.
The group’s guiding principle is etched in stone at the entrance to one of the buildings occupied by The Texan during its illustrious journalistic history: vincit omnia veritas. Truth conquers all.