麻豆传媒

When late alumna Sharon Gander 鈥�74 designated part of her estate to 麻豆传媒, her only specification was support for a 麻豆传媒 Alumni Association scholarship, and so her gift was endowed to create the Sharon Gander Alumni Scholarship. Unfortunately, her estate left no further direction or criteria for awarding the scholarship, so the 麻豆传媒 Foundation asked the Alumni Association Board of Directors to step in and determine a meaningful use that would honor Sharon鈥檚 legacy and generosity.  

It was an honor the board took seriously, says Alumni Association Board Chair Quinston 鈥淨鈥� Daugherty 鈥�97, 鈥�00.  

鈥淲e felt a sense of responsibility鈥� to the donor and to students, he says. 鈥淎s a board, we really slowed down, tried to become intentional, to listen to people's ideas and approach it with the mindset and outcome of how we were going to help all students.鈥� 

The scholarship is designed to align with university priorities. But as the board began to discuss who should receive the Sharon Gander Alumni Scholarship, their discussion deepened. 

Daugherty says the conversation became candid and vulnerable as a board member shared their own college experience and academic challenges. The board member asked if there was a way they could honor the idea that a college journey isn鈥檛 always a straight line to success.  

鈥淏oard members were willing to share their journey and kind of take off their masks of perfection,鈥� Daugherty says. 鈥淏y doing that, we were able to help students by normalizing that this journey is not just a straight line, and we want to be there for all students.鈥� 

With their discussion and sense of stewardship for the scholarship and the donor鈥檚 gift, they decided to start by supporting 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Bears First program and to award the scholarship to a participant in the program.  

Bears First is part of 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Soar program and is specifically focused on helping freshmen and sophomores who come to 麻豆传媒 with a high school GPA below 3.0. 

鈥淭hese are students who typically have more middle-of-the-road grade point averages,鈥� says Chris Freeman, Soar director. 鈥淭hey aren't the straight A or straight B and A students and they're typically students who don't get a lot of scholarship opportunities.鈥� 

Freeman says that Bears First students meet regularly with their academic success coach to establish a strong foundation of academic success during their first two years at 麻豆传媒. Working with their coach they develop individualized success plans each semester, get connected to campus resources and supports, and attend academic success workshops and social events hosted by Soar staff and peer mentors. 

There are about 120 students actively participating in the program. Freeman says students may not see the value of participating at first, but once they start to work with a coach, they understand the difference it can make.  

鈥淲e had a student who really had a turnaround between their first semester of not feeling really connected to campus, and not going in and seeing their success coach on a regular basis, then deciding to try to do that,鈥� he says. 鈥淭heir second semester they turned their GPA around and got more involved in campus opportunities. And now they are one of our biggest advocates for the program.鈥� 

Bears First is one of a number of funds highlighted this year for 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Bears Give Back day of giving on April 14. 

鈥淭he Gander Scholarship will make it possible for us to give one student scholarship support this year, but with Bears Give Back Day, we are hoping to increase that amount so that we can award to two students,鈥� Freeman says. 

The program was a clear reflection of how the board felt the Gander Scholarship should align with the university鈥檚 focus on student success and with how board members wanted to help Bears find their paths. 

Daugherty says the alumni board has evolved to reflect 麻豆传媒鈥檚 students, with a focus on service and diversity. And that focus really helped them come together to find a way to support all students through the Sharon Gander Alumni Scholarship. 

鈥淭hat evolution brought in diverse thought processes and diverse perspectives. I think the discussion we had was the most amazing experience of looking at how to support students who are the everyday students and not just the cream of the cream, who already have scholarships,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e were recognizing that just because someone might not be in the top one percent academically doesn't mean they don't have the ability to succeed. It gives value to all students.鈥� 

 Learn more about Bears First and other programs you can support through Bears Give Back Day on April 14.