Golf Tournament Endowment Contributes Over $213,000 Towards UTD Scholarships

From left: Dr. Richard C. Benson, president of the University, receives a check from Dr. Calvin D. Jamison, vice president for Facilities & Economic Development

On behalf of the UT Dallas Scholarship Golf Tournament endowment, Dr. Calvin D. Jamison, vice president for Facilities & Economic Development (F&ED), presented Dr. Richard C. Benson, president of the University, with a check for $213,102 towards UTD scholarships. These funds will go into the Betty & Gifford Johnson Graduate Endowment, which helps graduate students attend and make presentations at national conferences; the Patti Henry Pinch Undergraduate Endowment, which assists undergraduates with research and travel expenses; and the Academic Bridge Scholarship Endowment, which helps high-potential first-generation college students with on-campus housing, meals, advising, mentoring and tutoring. The tournament endowment, started by Dr. Austin Cunningham, professor emeritus and retired dean of Graduate Studies, has now reached an estimated market value of over $1,340,000, an amount whose interest gain alone will allow it to keep being a reliable source of scholarship funding in The University of Texas at Dallas for years to come.

The money generated by this tournament, which celebrated its 30^th anniversary in 2024, has contributed to the research and education of many Comets. The UT Dallas Scholarship Golf Tournament has also developed into a great source of community-building for supporters of the University, with some teams returning to compete year after year. An army of UTD volunteers works for months to put on this amazing day of golf for a good cause, or “par for a purpose” as Dr. Jamison is fond of saying.