Fourteen UT Dallas Students Awarded Terry Foundation Scholarships

Fourteen incoming freshman at The University of Texas at Dallas are beneficiaries of the prestigious Terry Foundation Scholarship for the 2007–2008 academic year.

The nine women and five men enrolled for the fall semester at UT Dallas were selected based upon an array of factors, including leadership, character, academic distinction and financial need. All recipients also must have graduated from a Texas high school.

The recipients are Jennifer Aguirre of Mesquite, Saamia Ahmed of Richardson, Shehznan Baqui of Irving, Audie Espinoza of Dallas, Tania Foster of Sachse, Alysha Neal of Conroe, Sarah Ohlemacher of San Angelo, Matthew Ramos of DeSoto, Crystal Roe of Palacios, John Slaughter of Frisco, Nathaniel Springer of Manvel, Therri Usher of Corpus Christi, Stephanie West of Cedar Hill and Amiee Wilkerson of Denison.

The Houston-based Terry Foundation, which provided the funding, is the largest private source of scholarships in Texas.  The UT Dallas awardees include one high school valedictorian and one salutatorian.  Of the 14, 10 were in the top 5 percent of their high school’s graduating class.  The group’s average SAT score was 1293.

The award, which covers tuition and fees, textbooks, on campus housing and miscellaneous expenses, is typically a four-year offering, subject to satisfying grade and other requirements on an annual basis.  The amount of the award also takes into account a student’s financial resources and other aid, such as Pell grants.

The candidates’ nomination came through UT Dallas’ Office of Undergraduate Education.  Once the students were selected to apply for the scholarship, they were reviewed by the foundation’s board of directors and interviewed by a panel consisting of Terry alumni, current Terry Scholars and directors of the foundation. 

Dr. Michael Coleman, associate provost and dean of undergraduate education, heads UT Dallas’ Office of Undergraduate Education.

“I am particularly proud of the diversity of the new cohort of scholars,” Coleman said.  “They are an outstanding, extremely talented group, both academically and civically, and they will no doubt fit seamlessly with our existing nine Terry Scholars.”

The new scholars plan to study such fields as psychology, biology, engineering, neuroscience, biochemistry, math, historical studies and chemistry.

Houstonians Howard and Nancy Terry established the Terry Foundation scholarship program in 1986 as a means for young people to help themselves and develop their abilities.  The scholarships are awarded at one of six public universities in Texas, including UT Dallas, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M University, the University of Houston or Texas State University.  For more information about the program, please visit www.terryfoundation.org.

About UT Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students.  The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores.  The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs.  For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.

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