Scholarship Week
Texas McCombs Scholarship Week Provides Opportunities for Virtual and In-Person
Connection
The McCombs School of Business kicked off its inaugural Texas McCombs Scholarship Week on Feb. 23, offering scholarship recipients and their supporters opportunities to connect with one another, some for the first time. The week culminated in a celebratory breakfast reception in the Zlotnik Family Ballroom at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on Friday, Feb. 27, featuring presentations by Dean Lillian Mills and McCombs Success Scholar Karla Ramirez, BBA ’27, finance.
Meetups between donors and recipients were encouraged throughout the week, either via video conference or in person. More than 50 students and 25 supporters participated in the calls, and more than 100 students and donors attended Friday’s reception.
David Druley, BBA ’88 finance, MBA ’03, is the CEO and a board member at Cambridge Associates. He sponsors the Missy and David Druley Endowed Dean’s Scholarship in Business and the Missy and David Druley Endowed Scholarship alongside his wife, Melissa. As a longtime scholarship advocate, he stressed the importance of giving students similar chances at the success that he has had.
“I’ve been given tremendous opportunity throughout my life and in my career,” he said. “I wanted to give back and make sure that other people had the same opportunities as me.”
During her opening remarks at the breakfast, Mills underscored the importance of student support through scholarships.
“Supporting UT’s high-achieving students is an investment in the prosperity of our state and country,” she said. “With scholarships, we are able to recruit, retain, and reward top talent to ensure the best academic minds are studying and working on the Forty Acres.”
Her sentiment was demonstrated through Karla Ramirez, the student recipient of the Laura and James McBride Endowed Dean’s Scholarship in Business. Ramirez, whose interest in business was sparked while operating a fruit stand at her parents’ workplace, said being part of the McCombs Success Scholars program has helped shape her college experience from day one.
“For me, [being a McCombs Success Scholar] meant arriving at UT with a built-in support system rather than having to navigate everything alone,” she said. “Receiving the Laura and James McBride Endowed Dean’s Scholarship in Business further transformed my experience. Their philanthropy provided my family and me with stability and peace of mind. That sense of security allowed me to approach college not from a place of financial anxiety, but from a place of possibility.”
Before the breakfast concluded, recipients and supporters were provided a bingo card that listed guiding questions to encourage mingling among students and supporters.
This year alone, 13% of BBA students received scholarships amounting to $5.4 million in funds awarded and 40% of MBA students received scholarships amounting to $5.9 million in awards. In addition, 43% of traditional MPA students as well as Integrated/Bridge MPA students received scholarships amounting to $818,000 in awards.
Plans for next year’s Texas McCombs Scholarship Week are already underway, with an eye toward expanded opportunities for interaction and connection.
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