Emerald Ball proceeds create endowment
UNT president Gretchen M. Bataille, who worked tirelessly to reach out to alumni in her first several months at the helm, officially took her place as the university’s 14th president at her installation ceremony in April.
Amid the traditional pomp and circumstance, and the excitement of an inaugural ball, she again reinforced her mission - and the university’s - to provide opportunities for aspiring college students.
Members of the UNT Foundation’s board of directors were there to help, as lead sponsors of the Emerald Ball.
Dr. Bataille announced at the ball that net proceeds would help establish the Emerald Eagle Scholars program for first-time college students with a significant financial need.
Specifically, the Emerald Eagle scholarships will be available to incoming freshmen who are the first in their families to enroll in college and who come from households with an adjusted annual family income of $40,000 or less. Provisions in the program allow awarding the first of these scholarships to students enrolled at UNT for the Fall 2007 semester.
Eligible students must maintain a 2.5 grade point average and adhere to a course plan that will enable them to earn their degrees in four years. They also must be actively engaged in the “richness of university life, including campus activities, mentoring and other student support programs” Dr. Bataille said.
Proceeds from the Emerald Ball generated more than $250,000 of the program’s initial endowment. Other support comes from a combination of federal, state and university funds.
Members of the UNT Foundation’s board donated more than $94,000 to sponsor the inaugural event, making them the lead “Emerald” sponsors.
| 2007 | $25,072,666 |
| 2001 | $8,040,023 |
| 1996 | $869,403 |
“This was a great event in the life of the university, and we were delighted to be a part of the gala,” said Jack Wall, vice chair of the board.
Those who missed the inaugural activities can take heart - the university is planning to hold a similar event each year, inviting alumni and friends to the Denton campus. The 2008 event is scheduled for March 1. More details are forthcoming.
You can support the Emerald Eagle Scholars program by contacting the UNT Foundation at (940) 565-4555.
Dr. Phil decorates UNT’s special day
by creating a special scholarship fund
Dr. Phil McGraw, one of UNT’s most visible alumni, told the university’s alumni magazine last year that you cannot find a better place to prepare yourself for the future than at his alma mater.
A few years ago, he told a national audience on his television show that there is no finer place to give at-risk youngsters a new direction than the Happy Hill Farm Academy and Home in Granbury, Texas.
He put the two together at university president Gretchen Bataille’s inaugural event when he announced a $100,000 donation to the UNT Foundation to establish the Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw Scholarship Fund for college students from Happy Hill.
The endowment will provide scholarships for these students beginning in fall 2008.
Ed and Gloria Shipman founded Happy Hill Farm and Home in 1975. It is a licensed residential treatment facility and private academy for at-risk students, many who are from broken homes or who have been victims of abuse and neglect.
To find out how you can support the Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw Scholarship Fund, please contact the UNT Foundation at (940) 565-4555.
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