New scholarship aims to support UHV business students
A new scholarship program at the University of Houston-Victoria has just opened another door to make education more accessible to its students.
The UHV College of Business’ Friends Residential Scholarship is intended to attract and support business students who choose to live on UHV’s campus and to contribute to the local Victoria community.
The fund was started with a generous five-year commitment from the Haberling Mcleroy Family Foundation, and the foundation encourages other supporters to join the effort to grow the local economy by supporting business students in Victoria.
“We are so extremely grateful to Kenny and Teresa and the Haberling McLeroy Family Foundation for this amazing gift to support UHV College of Business students and keep them on campus, in the residence halls, here in Victoria,” said Amber Countis, UHV vice president for advancement and external relations. “Their generosity is inspiring and will help make a difference in the lives of so many. Their commitment to the Victoria community and UHV is the perfect way to kick off a new academic year.”
The creator of the scholarship program, Kenny French, president of the Haberling Mcleroy Family Foundation, and financial advisor for Edward Jones, said he hopes this opportunity will provide the community with fresh talent as well as enrich it.
“Over the years, we have noticed that there is a shortage of business graduates in our community, and when I talk to business owners, accountants, people in finance, we’re always looking for employees,” French said. “We are hoping this scholarship fund will attract business students to UHV, and that will give us an opportunity to offer them internships, to offer an opportunity to stay and work in this great community.”
The scholarship will be awarded to eligible business students with a focus on attracting juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in fields such as accounting, marketing and business management. The scholarship will cover the costs of room and board for students staying in the residence halls.
“When Kenny and I discussed the scholarship purpose and disbursement rules, we wanted it to be a win-win proposition for UHV and other potential donors in the community: UHV can attract and retain residential students and local businesses get a pool of qualified interns and graduates that can satisfy the local demand for talent”, explained Interim Dean of the College of Business, Xavier Garza-Gomez.
Eligible students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents; be enrolled in the UHV College of Business, preferably accounting majors; must have at least 45 credit-hours completed; reside in one of the residence halls; maintain a 3.0 GPA or greater; and must reside in one of the UHV residence halls during the semester of the award. The award amount will be approximately $8,000 to cover the fall and spring terms.
According to French, the economic landscape of Victoria has shifted significantly over the past few decades.
"You know, probably 30 years ago, Victoria was known as a financial center because you had two banks here and all the employees. And now that has kind of changed where our university and junior college are really catering to the industrial workers,” French said. “We've kind of lost sight of the other businesses that we have in our community and that we need business students also.
Funding for the scholarship program has received a huge boost of $100,000 over the next five years, thanks to the Haberling Mcleroy Family Foundation. The private foundation is based in Victoria with French serving as its president. The idea came to him to launch a foundation after spending time with Lou Holtz, an American football coach who used to coach for the University of Notre Dame, he said.
“He told me about the Lou Holtz Family Foundation; they would get together once a year and go over who they want to help, what they want to make donations to, and I thought it was a great idea to involve my family and start giving back,” French said. “Victoria has been so good to us, allowing us to have a business here for 30 years, and we wanted to give back.”
Senior Julie Martinez said it was an honor to be the first recipient of the scholarship. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting.
“I felt really honored because this is a new thing, and they decided to choose me, and it felt really special” Martinez said. “I immediately felt thankful, too, because all my hard work in my time here was being recognized.”
The scholarship will cover the cost of Martinez's room and board in the university's Jaguar Hall residence hall for the fall semester. Coming from a low-income family, this financial support will provide significant relief as she prepares to graduate in December, she said.
Originally from Woodsboro, Martinez’s love for numbers and mathematics stemmed from attending a math camp at UHV back when she was a freshman in high school, she said. The camp, led by a UHV math professor, exposed her to complex mathematical concepts and potential career paths.
From that point on, at the age of 14, Martinez said she knew she wanted to pursue accounting, as it aligned with her strengths and provided a clear path to a successful and financially stable career.
"There will be days where you just want to drop out, but it's important to keep working hard," Martinez advised. "The hard work will ultimately pay off in the end.”
If you would like to support the College of Business’ Friends Residential Scholarships, you may make a gift online at www.uhvconnect.org/donations/donate.asp?id=24050 or contact University Advancement at 361-570-4829 or countisa@uhv.edu to learn more.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.