2014 - 2015 Annual Report
We are the Texas Exes
In 2015, the Texas Exes celebrated 130 years of supporting the University of Texas at Austin. From scholars and donors to volunteers and travelers, our 106,000 members are the driving force behind everything we do. Because of you, in 2014-15 we awarded $3.1 million in scholarships, hosted more than 1,200 events, and advocated for higher education with an army of 4,500 volunteers. So we set out to capture portraits and stories of alumni who give back to UT-Austin with their time, their energy, and their wisdom.
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The Legend
When we say ‘membership is for life,’ we mean it.
“I’m 100 years old and I’m still involved with the Texas Exes almost every day. I look forward to my visits here. This is a place where I connect. Not only with people with whom I went to school, but with other friends.
It’s important that all Texas Exes stick with our university and do what they can for it. It’s fun. It’s where you can make new friends and hold on to the old ones. It’s the best place in the world to do that.”
Margaret C. Berry, BA ’37, Life Member, Distinguished Alumna
Former Professor and Administrator, University Historian, and Campus Legend
We change lives.
“My scholars are my family. When I meet a new scholar for the first time, I introduce them to our other students and say, ‘Now you’re a part of our family, and this is not just for this year, it’s for all four years at UT, and also for the rest of your life.’
Through scholarships, with a small donation you can really make an impact on somebody’s life. You really don’t have to give a large sum of money to boost a student and help somebody out. The returns are their friendship, which is greater than any amount of money you could get from a savings account.”
Marilyn White, BA ’59, Life Member
Founder of the Marilyn Marshall White Challenge Grant Scholarship
The Donor
The Scholarship Recipient
We’re family.
“My relationship with Marilyn [my donor] is crazy. We’re both goofballs. I say 90 percent of the time we’re together we’re laughing. The other 10 percent of the time we’re trying not to laugh because someone else is being serious, and I love it. I can’t goof off like that with anyone else.
The relationship that Marilyn and I have, it’s more than just a check. It’s two friends coming together, somebody I can look up to, a mother away from home.”
Keimon McDowell
Recipient of the Marilyn Marshall White Challenge Grant Scholarship
We turn students into lifelong supporters.
“Receiving a scholarship transformed my college experience. It was a huge, intimidating campus and I already had a home in the Texas Exes. I met older scholars who were mentors to me, and I met younger scholars who taught me what it meant to be a mentor. Now I have come full circle as a scholarship reader. I get to recruit the best and brightest to the university.”
Rachel Jamail, BA ’10, Life Member
Scholarship Volunteer and Former Recipient
The Volunteer
The Ambassador
We know how to have fun.
“I’ve been coming back as an ambassador for 33 years because I enjoy supporting the Texas Exes and the University of Texas. I love the friendships, the camaraderie—and you can also kind of act like a student, even though you’ve been out for many decades.
The best part of the tailgate experience is about 30 minutes before game time. And you see all the smiling faces, you see people greeting each other, hugging each other, having a good time, and looking forward to the game. It brings me so much joy.”
Diane Carminati, BS ’78, Life Member
Ambassadors Co-Chair
We honor the past and work for a better future.
“If you’ve ever met a precursor [one of the first black students to come to UT], and if you’ve ever been exposed to the story, the path of a precursor, you can’t help but be involved and give back to this university, and you can’t help but be involved with this organization.
I’m here because of the precursors. Because of their courage. And because of what they did in the early days of civil rights within the University of Texas. I am treading their path, and your life can’t help but be impacted by what they did and who they are right now. I am here because of them, because of their courage, the path that they placed for me to follow, and I’m eternally grateful for that.”
Lori Lewis-Conerly, MSW ’06, Life Member
Past Chair, Texas Exes Black Alumni Network
The Network Leader
The Chapter Leader
We work hard and build friendships along the way.
“Being president of the Houston Chapter was a difficult experience. There’s a lot of work that goes along with it, but it’s extremely rewarding. We had the opportunity to award scholarships to new Longhorns and future Texas Exes, and that made it worth every bit of time I put into it.
It’s a great way to stay in touch with the university. I’ve benefited by meeting a lot of great individuals who I know down the line are not just fellow Texas Exes, but are friends. They’d be there for me and I’d be there for them as well.”
Jonathan Worbington, BA ’01, JD ’05, Life Member
Past President, Texas Exes Houston Chapter; Member, Chapter Advisory Board
We speak up for higher education.
“I think that being a Longhorn is not just a four-year thing. It’s a life thing. I wanted to do something that kept me involved with the university. So advocacy is where I fit best. Advocacy is being engaged and being informed and going out and making a difference, making your voice heard. It’s a cool thing because everybody’s opinion is so different. People from all different kinds of backgrounds come together, and we all just want to improve higher education and UT.”
Brooke Barnhill, BS ’13, Life Member
Advocacy Chair, Austin Chapter
The Advocate
The Flying Longhorn
We travel the globe together.
“It’s a great camaraderie. You have something in common with a lot of the people on the trip who’ve gone to Texas. You build up a friendship with these people and travel with them over and over. It’s so hard to pick a favorite trip because they’re all the best. They really are all the best.”
Byrd Teague, BA ’66, Life Member
Veteran Flying Longhorns Traveler (22 trips)
Letter from the President
We’re there when UT needs us.
Without the Texas Exes, the University of Texas at Austin would be less competitive, less protected, and for many students less affordable than it is today. For 130 years, alumni, friends, and donors have poured themselves into supporting the university and doing what they can to make it better.
This past year I had the privilege of leading the association’s efforts. I did so because I wanted to make sure that our organization remained vibrant. It is so important that we have a strong alumni association. In recent years, it became even more important for the huge contingent of volunteers and alumni who love UT and want to protect our university to come together to stand up for the institution—and it made a difference.
All public institutions of higher education face competition for funding. State funding is about 12 percent of UT’s budget, so it’s less a state institution than a state-supported one. We should continue to vigorously promote public education and our research universities, because if you don’t make that investment, you’re not going to get the top-quality professors who give the top student experience.
We have a great opportunity to support new UT president Greg Fenves. Add that to the new Dell Medical School, which opens in 2016, and the leadership of our new chancellor, William McRaven, and we’re on the brink of a promising new start for our next 130 years.
Thank you for supporting the Texas Exes, and Hook ’em!
Kay Bailey Hutchison, LLB ’67, BA ’92, Life Member, Distinguished Alumna
2014-15 Texas Exes President
Purpose and Vision
Core Purpose
The Texas Exes formally organizes alumni and friends to champion and advance the mission of the University of Texas at Austin.
Vision
The Texas Exes will be indispensable to the University of Texas at Austin and its alumni.
Strategic Missions
To advocate on the university's behalf for the resources and support it needs to thrive.
To enrich the student experience before and during their time on campus and motivate them to be lifelong champions of the University of Texas at Austin.
To connect and engage alumni everywhere with each other and back to the university in meaningful ways.
To communicate the value that the University of Texas at Austin brings to the world through its students, faculty, and alumni.
As an independent organization, the Texas Exes strategically partners with the University of Texas at Austin to reach these goals.
2014 Award Recipients
Distinguished Alumnus Awards
Created in 1958, Distinguished Alumnus Awards are granted annually to alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally and through service to the University of Texas.
Dealey Decherd Herndon
BA '69, Life Member
Earl Christian Campbell
BS '79, Life Member
John H. Massey
LLB '66, Life Member
Matthew David McConaughey
BA '93, Life Member
Karen L. Nyberg
MS '96, PhD '98
H. Scott Caven
BBA '64, LLB '67, Life Member
Jody Conradt
Special Assistant, Women's Athletics
Distinguished Service Award
From time to time, there emerges an individual who was not a student at the University of Texas at Austin whose service makes a profound and positive difference to the university. The merit of the award is defined by the quality and stature of recipients, and is not routinely awarded.
Jeff Duchin
BBA '98, Life Member, 2014 Texas Exes Dallas Chapter Scholarship Dinner Co-Chair
Jack Harbin Top Hand Award for Outstanding Service
The Top Hand Award recognizes an individual who has given extraordinary service to the Texas Exes and the University of Texas. Guarded in secrecy, the Top Hand Award recipient is unaware of the honor until the time of presentation.
Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award
Initiated in 1980, the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award recognizes Texas Exes 39 and younger who have made significant achievements in their careers and service to the university.
Carlos M. Zaffirini, Jr.
BBA '03, JD '06, Life Member
Catherine "Cat" Osterman
BA '07, Life Member
Alexander L. Eastman
BA '96, Life Member
Shea Morenz
BBA '97, Life Member
Jeffery E. Tsai
BA '97, Life Member
Association Overview
In the past four years, the Texas Exes has grown tremendously. We’ve expanded our reach, strengthened our existing programs, and built new ventures. The financial health of the organization has never been stronger. Today we are one of the largest alumni associations on the planet, and we are a formidable network that will change the world.
2011
2015
Advocates | +150%
Number of UT Advocates grew from 1,800 to 4,500
Scholarships | +94%
Scholarship awards grew from $1.8 million to $3.1 million annually
Assets | +40%
Balance sheet grew from $96 million to $134 million
Budget | +36%
Budget increased from $11 million to $15 million
Membership | +15%
Membership grew from 92,000 to 106,000
Financial Summary
May 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015
Revenue // $16,501,855
Expenses // $15,081,526
Giving Sources // $12,074,006
Assets as of June 30, 2015 // $134,575,886
Texas Exes
2110 San Jacinto Blvd.
Austin, TX 78712
texasexes.org
Photography by Anna Donlan
Videography by Corey Gray
