W hen it comes to impacting Texas A&M University, the most meaningful gifts are those shaped by what matters most to you. Through the Texas A&M Foundation, you can tailor your support to reflect your values — choosing exactly how and where your generosity makes a difference. Whether your passion lies in easing students’ financial burdens, strengthening a program or student organization, or advancing a professor’s research and academic leadership through a professorship, you can accomplish these purposes through an endowment. One of the Foundation’s primary types of gifts, endowments start with a $25,000 minimum gift and are designed for long-term support.
Meet a few students and professors benefiting from endowments to see just a few ways this method can make an impact across campus.
Marti Ducote ’28
For Marti Ducote ’28, the Esse Woelfel Family Endowed Scholarship has made it possible to fully invest in her academic journey at Texas A&M. Raised on a ranch in South Texas, Ducote grew up immersed in production agriculture, where raising cattle, showing market steers and participating in the National FFA Organization instilled in her a deep appreciation for the dedication, responsibility and sacrifice required to sustain the industry. Those early experiences not only shaped her work ethic but also guided her decision to pursue degrees in animal science and agricultural economics at Texas A&M, following in the footsteps of her parents, both Aggies and former members of the collegiate meat judging team.
Knowing that the Woelfel family has chosen to invest in my future and has faith in what I can accomplish motivates me to work harder and push myself every day to be better academically and personally. - Marti Ducote ’28
By easing financial pressure, the scholarship allows Ducote to take rigorous coursework, pursue internships, study abroad and compete on collegiate judging teams, including the nationally recognized meat judging and wool judging teams. Those opportunities culminated in a defining achievement when Ducote helped lead the wool judging team to sweep the Intercollegiate National Wool Judging Contest at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2025, earning grand and reserve champion team honors while also being named the contest’s overall high-point individual, a testament to her discipline, focus and leadership.
Established by Stacie (Esse) and Warren Woelfel in honor of their parents’ agricultural legacy, the scholarship supports animal science superstars like Ducote who exemplify leadership, dedication and excellence and empowers them to continue to grow their personal and professional abilities.
William “Henry” Allen ’26
The Bush School of Government and Public Services’ Intelligence Studies Program has been instrumental in helping Henry Allen ’26 make strides toward his dream of working in the intelligence community. A second-year master’s student studying international affairs, Allen came to Texas A&M from Raleigh, North Carolina, after earning degrees in intelligence and security studies and international military affairs from The Citadel.
Through a range of coursework, speaker series and experiential learning opportunities, the program allows students like Allen to learn the ins and outs of national security directly from intelligence professionals as they develop skills to serve and protect the nation.
“The Intelligence Studies Program is one of the best in the nation because of the tools and resources available to us. It’s been essential to my growth and preparation for a career in service to my country.” - Henry Allen ’26
The program’s exceptional faculty, resources and immersive experiences are made possible directly through endowed support. Established in 2020 by Andrea and David Heath ’76, the James M. “Jim” and Meredith Olson Bush School Intelligence Studies Program Endowment has grown to more than $1 million through the collective generosity of donors including Steve Brauer Jr. ’02, Zou and Frederick “Boyd” Cherry ’67, Bonnie and Otway Denny ’71, Susanne and Melbern Glasscock ’59, Maria and Rex Grey ’67, Laura ’97 and Chad Hesters ’96, the Artie and Dorothy McFerrin Foundation, Constance ’88 and James Sherwood ’87, N.F. Smith and Associates, Lloyd “Skip” Stevens ’70, and Sharon ’90 and Joseph von Rosenberg, as well as separate endowed gifts from Angie ’84 and Billy Lemmons ’83. These gifts have been integral to the program’s sustained impacted on the nation’s future intelligence leaders.
Elizabeth McRae ’27
A student-run organization, Aggie Guide-Dogs and Service-Dogs educates on, fundraises for and promotes awareness around the training and use of guide dogs and service dogs for individuals with disabilities and impairments. Dogs trained through the program begin their journey on campus with the group’s student trainers before moving to a secondary organization where they receive specialized instruction and are ultimately paired with their future partner. Since the organization’s beginning in 1997, more than 130 dogs have been trained.
“Training a service dog is something not many people get to do, and the fact that we at Texas A&M can do something that will have such a big impact on someone's life is really rewarding.” - Elizabeth McRae ’27
The organization’s work involves significant and often unpredictable costs — from grooming supplies and training classes to certification exams. Endowed support from the RB EYE Foundation and Mary Ann and Raymond Mauk ensures these essential expenses are covered year after year, allowing student trainers to focus fully on the demanding, hands-on responsibility of raising and preparing service dogs rather than worrying about financial barriers.
As president, Elizabeth McRae ’27 oversees community outreach initiatives, leads general meetings and serves as a point of contact for trainers and fellow officers, offering support wherever it is needed. Looking ahead, she hopes to see Aggie Guide-Dogs and Service-Dogs continue building its community and expanding its ability to train more service dogs. For her, the organization embodies Texas A&M’s core value of selfless service by reminding students that raising a service dog is not only a commitment of time but also an opportunity to help change someone’s life for the better.
Dr. Roxana Jafari
As an assistant professor in architecture and coordinator of the Architecture for Health (Arch4Health) initiative in the Texas A&M College of Architecture, Dr. Roxana Jafari focuses her work on human-centered design for high-stress health care environments such as operating rooms, intensive care units and behavioral health care settings where thoughtful design can directly impact patients’ experiences and safety. Supported by an endowed professorship from Ronald Skaggs ’65 ’67, she leads research-based studios, a lecture series and applied simulations that bridge academic research with real-world health facilities design.
Under her leadership through the Arch4 Health initiative, students work with full-scale mock-ups, advanced simulation tools and technology-enabled tools using artificial intelligence in collaboration with industry partners, engaging in projects that go beyond traditional coursework in a way that prepares them to enter the field with both technical skill and empathy.
“This professorship has enabled me to pursue interdisciplinary work at the intersection of architecture and health care research and expand the Architecture for Health initiative to shape the next generation of health care designers at Texas A&M.” - Dr. Roxana Jafari
The endowment reflects the passions and legacy of Skaggs, a distinguished Texas A&M alumnus whose career shaped the architecture of health facilities worldwide through his work as chairman and CEO of HKS Architects. During his career, he helped lead the design of major institutions such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center and Scottish Rite for Children, and his endowment will continue to advance health facilities architecture that enhances people’s vitality and well-being.
