Contribute to the New Student Field Experiences Endowment
Alumni and friends have responded enthusiastically to our appeal
in December, creating the new Friends of Student Field Experiences Endowment.
We're just getting started. Contribute to this endowment and you can make a
difference in the lives of students by ensuring a Jackson School tradition of
outstanding student field experiences.
To contribute:
1. Mail in our contribution form
(Adobe PDF) Choose from more than 100
specific funds, including the new Friends of Student Field Experiences.
2. Give or pledge online via UT's Development Office.
Indicate "Student Field Experiences Endowment"
in the gift descriptor section.
Dean
Barron on why this new endowment is critical in developing the nation's finest
geosciences program:
Geology
programs across the country are cutting back on their commitment to field
courses and field experiences. The costs are escalating and the pressure on
student tuition and fees is already too great. Yet, in my mind, nothing
cemented my enduring interest in geology more than when the blackboard was
replaced by the real thing.
The four
major field courses offered by the department required our students to pay
$248,525 just for 2006 alone, simply to cover the course costs. The summer
field camp, in fees and tuition, cost each student $4,295. Remember that this
is also a summer in which these students can’t take on a summer job to help
defray the next year’s tuition, so the burden for families is even greater. In
2006, a few generous existing endowments helped us to cover half of the summer
field course fees for 20 of the participants. In 2006, those funds supported
about half of the 38 students that enrolled in summer field camp. These funds
won’t have the same impact in two years – in two years our incoming class of 103
new students will enroll as juniors in summer field camp.
The
Jackson School commitment to taking students to the field is a great part of
what makes our undergraduate and graduate programs strong. As the costs of our
vans, fuel, and other expenses grow, and as we attract more students to serve
society’s needs, the pressure to rein in our costs and limit field expenses will
inevitably grow. We need to ensure that every student has multiple
opportunities to gain field experience and to ensure that no bright student
turns to other areas of study because they can’t afford the extra fees
associated with a geosciences education.
Thank you
for your interest and support of our program. I look forward to being partners
in developing the nation’s finest geosciences program.
Sincerely