2.5 million in scholarships donated to support Borderplex students at UT Austin

AUSTIN, TX – The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation (WGHFF) has announced a $2.5 million gift to The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) to support students from the El Paso, Las Cruces and Ciudad Juarez area who choose to study at UT Austin with scholarships.

As part of the university’s Texas Challenge, UT Austin will match the donation, creating a $5 million fund that will provide scholarships to college students from low- and middle-income families residing in the Borderplex region.

“We are proud to participate in the Texas Challenge to help young people in the Borderplex region pursue their college dreams at UT Austin without the financial worries that can come with higher education,” said Woody L. Hunt, president of the foundation.

Hunt said investing in students keeps El Paso and Texas globally competitive and innovative for decades to come.

The Texas Challenge is a unique giving opportunity created by UT Austin to recruit high-potential students from middle- and low-income families across the state through targeted scholarships and financial incentives.

With the $2.5 million gift from the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation, UT Austin will establish will support students from the Hunt’s hometown of El Paso and the surrounding border region.

Students who are awarded the scholarship will receive support in successive years until graduation, as long as they continue to meet their eligibility criteria.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Woody Family Foundation and Gayle Hunt, we look forward to welcoming more El Paso students to campus in the fall and for years to come. Students from the Borderplex region come from a vibrant and unique community, full of different perspectives, which adds to the diverse community we embrace here at UT Austin. We are committed to remaining competitive across the country by recruiting the brightest minds, which we know are right here in El Paso,” said Jay Hartzell, president of the university.

Since its inception in 1987, the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation has invested in key educational initiatives, organizations and programs that help increase educational attainment in the Borderplex region, including scholarships that help more students pursue higher education.

Source: MEXICONOW Staff