Your Gifts at Work

Archive for the ‘Sarah Hill’ Category

Engaging Communities Across the Globe

Posted on: December 5th, 2013

Huyen Bui

Starting your own business is no easy task. But one Bauer graduate wants to make it easier for those across the globe to start and succeed in business.

C. T. Bauer College of Business alumna Huyen Bui’s (’10) passion for volunteerism in Houston and beyond is taking her across the globe to Vietnam in a fellowship with the non-profit Kiva.

Bui’s Bauer College concentrations in marketing and international business lead her to the application for the Kiva Fellowship Program in Vietnam, where she will be a liaison between Kiva and their microfinance institution partners. She will work directly with borrowers to post their stories online and facilitate in the lending process.

Kiva takes loans through the internet from all corners of the world and lends the money to borrowers in developing countries who have been selected by lenders through their online profiles. Borrowers use their loans to buy supplies to sustain businesses, start new a new business, or continue their education.

“The work inspires me, and I want to actually be involved in the process more,” Bui said.

Bui was a participant of Discover Leadership Training, a program previously offered in partnership with the Bauer College, and will be utilizing her leadership skills learned there during her time in Vietnam.

“This scholarship was given exclusively to Bauer students to develop their leadership skills. Not only did I learn from the classroom, but I also learned from my peers, projects and other student activities.”

Bui’s time at Bauer College also prepared her for the fellowship through participating in leadership programs and her international business courses.

“The Bauer College of Business creates opportunities for students to shine, it’s just a matter of whether you grab that chance or not.”

Mable Wan and the Bauer Excellence Program

Posted on: December 5th, 2013

wan-mable

The Bauer Excellence Scholarship has given more than financial freedom to Mable Wan, an undergraduate student in the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston—it’s made her feel like family. “It makes me realize that they’ve invested in me and what it really does is make me want to give back to Bauer–after I graduate and even now.”

Wan was just a young high school student when she first googled “entrepreneurship programs” and was instantly drawn to the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship for its incredibly high national ranking. It instantly became her dream to attend the nationally recognized program. At Bellaire High School, Wan was in the top 10 percent of her graduating class, and was prepared to go to a different college—one that provided her with a full scholarship. University of Houston countered with the Bauer Excellence Scholarship and Wan wholeheartedly accepted it. “I wouldn’t be here without the Bauer Excellence Initiative,” says Wan.

Wan firmly believes that financial burdens take a toll on one’s education. “The scholarship has given me financial freedom for these four years–the luxury of pursuing any interests I have without worrying about paying for a roof over my head,” she reflects. “This really makes a difference because I’m basically experimenting with ideas without the fear of failure.” Without worrying about her housing and tuition obligations, Wan has had the ability to concentrate fully and impressively on her studies.

Wan’s plan is to work for an accounting firm after becoming a CPA. “Experience in the industry,” she says, “will give me a better chance of succeeding when I start up my own business.” Her aspirations are sure to become reality because of her truly remarkable dedication and hard work.

Graphic Alumni Partnership (GAP) Gives Back

Posted on: December 5th, 2013

mousner bosse

Daniel Bosse and Jim Mousner graduated from the relatively small graphic design program at the University of Houston, a well-kept secret. Getting that secret out is their main priority. They are both business owners: Bosse founded Bayon Creative, while Mousner started the design group, Origin. Both of their entrepreneurial spirits found their way into their mode of giving back. The graphic design alums started the Graphic Alumni Partnership (GAP) and began connecting the community of UH designers to each other, so more interactions could take place. There was a great need, they felt, to show the significance of work coming out of UH’s small but notable program. This intimate group of graduates, only about 24 a year, work in a studio setting with Houston as their laboratory. Many graduates go on to own their own businesses, publish their own magazines and work for the top caliber design companies in the nation.

In Bosse’s words, “We give back because of the passion we have for the program. We are proud of where we went to school. Both Jim and I have businesses because of this program.” And through GAP, the designers’ sense of camaraderie is strong. Their website reminds recent graduates what it was like to incur the cost of their education, and states: “UH GAP was set up to make the current program stronger and less economically rigorous on the currently enrolled students in the Graphic Communication Program. Through donations of time and money from alumni, we strive to make the lives of these students a little easier.” One way they accomplish this is by providing three undergraduate and three graduate level scholarships each year to deserving students. They also support the senior graphic design students’ final projects through mentorship, and they provide the branding for the Blaffer School of Art’s Master’s Degree Thesis Show.

Mousner believes that the culture of great design is important for Houston. Early on in his career, he struggled with the stereotype that one must go to New York or L.A. to advance in design. He ended up staying in Houston, and building a multi-million dollar company. He is of the opinion that designers are the front line in bringing about social change and he strives for that in every aspect of his work. According to Mousner, graphic designers “infiltrate, galvanize and document” the changing cultural landscape. This year, the GAP’s “Main Event,” their annual fundraising and networking venue, will focus on the Middle East and seek to erase negative connotations through powerful design. This type of cultural development and social change is taking place because of the many stellar University of Houston graphic design graduates. Through their scholarship gifts, the Graphic Alumni Partnership will advance the academic careers of deserving students and will continue to provide networking resources to those just recently graduated.

Funding for Multidisciplinary Research and Engineering Building (MREB) Is Underway

Posted on: September 5th, 2013

Multidisciplinary Research and Engineering Building

The MREB will support both academic and research programs at UH.

The University of Houston plans to design and construct a new Multidisciplinary Research and Engineering Building (MREB) that will support the University’s mission to provide Tier One research facilities, and corporate partners are being asked to help fund this exciting project. It will brand a company as an employer of choice for the next generation of interdisciplinary, global and entrepreneurial engineers and demonstrate that company’s commitment to STEM education and training. The new facilities will allow UH to add more than 250 talented graduate students and to hire new National Academy faculty. Additionally, it will elevate the Cullen College of Engineering’s current national ranking (#74) to a Top 50 Graduate Engineering School.

The proposed four-story Multidisciplinary Research and Engineering Building will support both academic and research programs. The new facility will provide a state-of-the-art infrastructure needed to increase student enrollment, associated faculty, and research funding. The facility will foster collaboration across the campus by minimizing investments in multiple and redundant instrumentation facilities by housing core facilities in a neutral location while sustaining and enhancing research growth. The new facility will include a research core that houses major core facilities that serve the critical needs of the University’s research foci, both in energy and health.

Beyond the benefits of the MREB to both the Cullen College of Engineering and the University of Houston, the MREB will also benefit our local industry, community, and the entire city of Houston. With this new facility, we will be able to increase our annual research expenditures by $30 million, which should in turn promote approximately $510 million worth of economic activity in Houston alone. The deadline for the Cullen College of Engineering’s fundraising efforts for the MREB is December 2013. For more information about the MREB building project, please visit: http://www.egr.uh.edu/newbuilding.

Local musician supports the Moores School of Music at UH.

Posted on: September 5th, 2013

sybal roos

Sybil Roos has always been a musician at heart, so it was natural for her to help make it possible for numerous students to attend the Moores School of Music through her gift of need-based scholarships. From vocalists who have gone on to perform with the Houston Grand Opera, to instrumentalists who now play with the Houston Symphony, Roos has encouraged and supported their endeavors with much-needed financial backing. Roos has served on the Moores School’s board of trustees and is involved currently with the Moores Society, a group that allows contributors like Roos to enjoy priority access to Moores School events while also providing recurring financial support to the UH music school through their annual membership gifts.

Roos’s mother was a talented musician who started her daughter in piano lessons at an early age. As a high school student in 1940s-era Beverly Hills, Roos joined a group of classmates to launch a small music and theater company, where she composed piano pieces to complement lyrics penned by other group members. Her creative collaborators – many the sons and daughters of iconic movie stars and Hollywood heavyweights – often gathered and invented songs with names like “Anything Your Little Heart Desires” and “Chin Up.” “The Young Footlighters Guild,” as they called themselves, was often invited to perform for audiences such as the British War Relief Society and the American Red Cross. Their burgeoning popularity allowed them to shop their songs out to Warner Brothers Studios and Irving Berlin, who described their uniquely catchy ditties as “pleasant and tinkling.”

Despite her heartfelt love for music, she ultimately decided to pursue another passion – education. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, Roos relocated to Texas and promptly registered for the state’s teacher certification exam. The test was administered at the University of Houston; this was Roos’s first introduction to UH. [Over the coming years, her musical interests were largely relegated to watching her three daughters take piano lessons and listening to her husband – an amateur vocalist – delight crowds at the couple’s favorite local hangout with his rendition of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.” Soon the Moores School of Music beckoned, and Roos found herself becoming reacquainted with her old love – music – and, once again, back at the University of Houston.]

Nowadays, Roos is a prominent figure at Moores School of Music events, including the Texas Music Festival. “It’s a wonderful experience,” she said, “to see such talented young people from around the world come together to perform on the same stage.” Dr. David Ashley White, Director of the Moores School, calls Roos “an enthusiastic supporter of the program” who never misses a Dinner Concert Gala or the opportunity to provide scholarship support for deserving students who might otherwise be unable to study at the University. Roos’s generosity, compassion and steadfast friendship to the Moores School embody the very spirit of UH pride – and that, Coogs, is why Sybil Roos is music to our ears!

Phil Swanson Supports the Cougar Graduation Challenge

Posted on: September 5th, 2013

the swansons

The Cougar Graduation Challenge is an exciting way for University of Houston students to give back before they even graduate.

The Cougar Graduation Challenge is an exciting way for University of Houston students to give back before they even graduate. It also helps create a sense of community among students. The Challenge has two components—the Cougar Spirit Cord and the Cougar Graduation Survey. By making a minimum $15 donation to the University of Houston, graduates receive a red and white Cougar Spirit Cord to wear at commencement. This shows a student’s pride in their school and their support for those who will be returning the next semester. But if that donation seems too daunting, Phil Swanson (’86) has agreed to let every student who completes a Cougar Graduation Survey direct one dollar to the UH program of their choice. Swanson understands that the pressures of life and the costs of living can outweigh the desire to give back—especially for new graduates. One dollar, directed to any college or program in the University, is what he considers a “launch pad” for giving. His wife, Mindy, adds: “Once you’re in your thirties and forties, a pattern has been established–you need to start students out giving back while they are young!”

Annual giving ensures support for student scholarships, recruitment and retention of key faculty, research, technology and more. “The academics at UH are what really inspire me to give,” Swanson maintains. “You want to be proud of your education. I thought the University of Houston provided a great education for me.” Mindy adds, “Education is something that’s important to both Phil and me. We’ve made Houston our home, and in my point of view, having a thriving university is critical to having a great place to live.” Also, he says the University’s tireless aim at expansion and construction excites him about giving back. There are currently more than four new buildings being constructed around campus and 10 recently built or renovated facilities. The Energy Research Park is an impressive 70-acre structure, which he believes is going to be a huge part of establishing UH as the nation’s “energy university.” “Other folks can’t help but notice these things,” he maintains about the recent expansion. “Things that are happening now—these things are what inspire me to give.”

He knew that philanthropy would be an important part of his alumni experience ever since he pledged Sigma Chi during his freshman year. Whether it was the brotherhood that ultimately determined his sense of belonging on campus or the time he spent traveling as a Cougar cheerleader, he always knew that it was up to alumni to give back because he saw other alumni giving when he was a student. “I always figured I would be contributing myself one day—I learned about giving on the job,” he admits. The alarming reality is that, despite rising costs for higher education, tuition covers less than half the funds needed to educate a student. Educating a student at UH relies on 36 percent of contributions from sources other than tuition. Generous donations like those from Phil and Mindy bridge the gap, making it possible to continue providing an affordable, Tier One education.

Creating a habit of giving is important. No matter what the amount is, an annual gift is ultimately, a transformative one. For instance, twenty gifts of $20 each can purchase a guest lecture from a visiting professor. Charitable donations affect every student when they use library resources and technology on campus. In total, the 2012-2013 Cougar Graduation Challenge raised more than $30,000 for UH students and programs from more than 29% of graduating seniors!

The Treasurer of the Society of Women Engineers and President of Cougar Waterpolo, Catherine Finley, is an example of a May 2013 graduate who will be wearing a Cougar Spirit Cord at graduation. When asked what motivates her to give to the University, she answers, “Knowing that you’re helping others.” In addition to her donation, she also helped raise an extra dollar for her favorite college on campus, the Cullen College of Engineering, by completing a Graduation Survey. Because of yearly scholarships, including the Honors Scholarship and the Engineering Alumni Scholarship, Finley is able to graduate debt-free from University of Houston. “I really understand how donations from alumni relieve stress and let you just focus on school,” she says. And, after all, focusing on education is the most important job the University accomplishes.

Professor Carp Boosts Political Science Department with a Planned Gift

Posted on: August 27th, 2013

robert carp

Professor Robert Carp, Ph.D. taught more than Constitutional Law to Patrick Hanley while the latter was an undergraduate student at the University of Houston. Carp also taught Hanley how to think and discuss just as a lawyer does. Reading case studies instead of a text book, students found Carp’s class to be exponentially more difficult than any other course—and more enlightening. Reading texts directed at seasoned lawyers as an undergraduate was challenging, but it prepared Hanley for his Law School career at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Looking back, Carp’s teaching focused more on “robust discussions than argument,” discussion being an element Hanley felt was often overlooked in Law School. It is a skill that has served him well in the years since, working as an analyst in hospital regulatory compliance for medical research at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Carp is a seasoned professional academician, as Professor Kenneth Manning, his long-time collaborator knows. Professor Manning has co-investigated a database on federal district court decision-making and co-authored the quintessential textbook, “Judicial Process in America” with Carp and Ronald Stidham. Manning was a hard-working, 27- year-old graduate student of Carp’s nearly 20 years ago, and he eventually followed in his mentor’s footsteps to become a Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Neither Manning nor Hanley were surprised at the news that Carp had funded an endowed chair in the Political Science Department at University of Houston. Through a planned gift, Carp will empower UH’s Political Science Department to attract or retain a professor with a national reputation. According to Professor Susan Scarrow, also in the Political Science department at UH, this allows the endowed chair to travel to conferences to present research, to purchase computer software and hardware, to hire a research assistant and may be used to provide a summer research stipend for the person who holds the chair. This gift will effectively underwrite a professor and, as Manning puts it, “will raise the overall reputation of the Political Science department, and in turn, the whole of UH.”

“His generous gift is entirely keeping with his extraordinary character,” says Manning. And above all, there is an overwhelming feeling that professor Carp is sensible. “He’s going to do something good with it,” he says simply of Carp’s gift. And with planned gifts, an individual can leave a percentage of their estate—1 to 100 percent—so that no matter how the size of their estate changes over the years, gifts to family and charities remain proportionate.

Manning says it will be a prestigious honor for anyone who can say, “I was hired to fulfill the Carp Endowed Professorship.” The message of this particular gift, adds Hanley, is that “there is a belief that to be a philanthropist, you must be part of the 1 percent. Professor Carp’s gift shows that we all have the opportunity to invest in things that are important to us.”