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Fall 2020 Announcement

Due to the continuing impact of the coronavirus and our concern for the safety and health of our staff, current Scholars and Alumni, The Terry Foundation will host virtual fall events for 2020. We encourage everyone to take personal responsibility and to follow the recommendations of the CDC regarding wearing masks, hand washing, social distancing and guidelines for group gatherings.

Fall 2020 Virtual Events

  • Terry Orientations – August

    The Foundation will host 3 virtual Orientation events for incoming Scholars ONLY during the week of August 10th. All incoming Scholars have been assigned to attend one of these three events, according to their Terry-affiliated university. Attendance is mandatory for incoming Scholars; upperclass Terry Scholars are excused. We look forward to welcoming our new Scholars and sharing Mr. and Mrs. Terry’s legacy with them.

  • Terry Banquets – October

    The Foundation will host 8 virtual Banquet events for all current Terry Scholars during October. Scholars are assigned to one of two events according to their entry year (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and must register in advance of the event. Registration instructions will be emailed to all invited participants in September. Each event will feature an Alumni speaker, followed by small group discussion led by Alumni.

  • Alumni Activities

    The Annual September Terry Alumni Luncheon in Dallas has been cancelled. The Terry Scholar Alumni Association (TSAA) will organize a fall Alumni event as a replacement. TSAA Chapters have been busy organizing their 2020-2021 teams and setting goals for the next year. Alumni can expect virtual engagement opportunities for the foreseeable future, and Terry Connect will be the primary source of information. While we are sad that we cannot provide our usual in-person Alumni events, we are ecstatic for the chance to engage with Alumni without the limitations of their locations. The TSAA commits to maintaining these virtual engagement opportunities for Alumni after social distancing measures are no longer necessary.

 

2020 -2021 Scholarships

All 955 current Terry Scholar scholarship commitments – for both Traditional and Transfer Scholars – continue to be fully funded. There is no risk to funding for current Scholars.

  • Traditional Scholarship

    The Terry Foundation will stop funding new scholarships at Texas A&M at Galveston and Sam Houston State University, starting in 2021. This difficult decision was based on unprecedented recent events and the resulting permanent, negative impact on the Foundation’s available assets. This decision does not impact our funding of Terry Scholarships awarded to TAMUG and SHSU entering freshman in August 2020. The Foundation will continue to support all current TAMUG and SHSU Terry Scholars to graduation or through the completion of their scholarship funding.

  • Transfer Scholarship

    As of May 2020, the Terry Foundation’s Board of Directors has determined that we will not offer any new Transfer Scholarships for the 2020-2021 academic year. This decision does not impact our funding of existing Terry Transfer Scholarships. The Foundation will continue to support all current Terry Transfer Scholars to graduation or through the completion of their scholarship funding.

While we deeply regret needing to take the actions listed above, these were necessary steps to ensure that the Foundation can award scholarships into perpetuity. The Board of Directors has acted with the best long-term interests of the Foundation in mind. All current Terry Scholars (Traditional and Transfer) should rest assured that all existing scholarship commitments will be fully funded. Again, there is no risk to funding for current Scholars.

Current Scholars

We recognize this fall semester will probably be very different from what you had anticipated. However, we expect all Scholars to exercise personal responsibility and to continue taking care of yourselves and each other, in addition to your coursework. Your on-campus Terry resources are available to you via email (find info for all university contacts in the Scholar Handbook and HERE) and should be your first references.

  • New Support Resources

    Current Terry Scholars now have access to Guidance Resources for personal, legal, financial, and school-life balance counseling. These services are completely confidential and provided free of charge to Scholars. Please see your Scholar Handbook, the “Resources” section of Terry Connect, or the email from your Scholar Relations Coordinator for more information.

  • Communicating with the Foundation

    Scholars should keep the Foundation updated with any changes in personal status and continue to adhere to funding and submission deadlines (November 1st deadline for spring funding). Grade review will take place as usual following the conclusion of the fall semester. We encourage you to do your best to ensure you are meeting Terry Scholarship continuation requirements. As mentioned above, your Scholar Handbook and Terry Campus resources should be the first places you turn.

The Board and staff of the Terry Foundation are honored to carry Howard and Nancy Terry’s legacy into the future. We look forward to welcoming the 2020 class of Terry Scholars at Orientations next week, and we look forward to seeing our Alumni at virtual events and at the fall banquets. We are proud of the strength and resilience of the Terry Scholars in our network, and we send our encouragement to everyone in our community and to all those affected by the constantly developing situation before us. Show leadership by doing your part to keep your community safe. Be kind to yourself and be patient with others as everyone moves into a new season during the pandemic.

You all make us immensely proud.

Respectfully,

Yvonne Moody

President and Executive Director

Jodie Koszegi

Scholarship Program Director

Amber Masso

Director of Communications and Alumni Engagement