The Power of Giving
Donor generosity fuels student success in the NEXT IS NOW capital campaign
The NEXT IS NOW capital campaign launched in 2021 to support Texas State University’s drive to make our students’ dreams of success a reality, expand our applied research capabilities, and advance our teaching excellence.
As Texas State looks to celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2024 and closes in on the NEXT IS NOW campaign’s $250 million goal, donor generosity has made a significant impact on Bobcat faculty, staff, and students. With continued support, TXST will not only solidify its status as a renowned research institution, but it will also make real, powerful change in our community, in Texas, and across the world.
The NEXT IS NOW campaign is built around four core priorities that reflect the breadth of Texas State’s mission and the depth of its commitment to making a difference:
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Students: Scholarships Make a Difference
As the cost of a college education rises, Texas State prides itself on delivering a world-class education at an affordable price. The university is committed to giving talented students and their families opportunities that may be otherwise unavailable to them. To keep recruiting the best young minds and future leaders from across the socioeconomic spectrum, TXST relies on generous scholarship gifts from alumni and friends.
Bill and Loma Hobson, class of '64, support a Scholarship Endowment and Marine Corps scholars
William “Bill” Hobson (B.S. ’64) and Loma Chance Hobson (B.A. ’64) have long been fiercely loyal Bobcats and steadfast supporters of the university.
Their generosity has given many students the opportunity to enroll at TXST. In 1998, they established the William and Loma Hobson Endowed Scholarship at Texas State for high school students from Edna, Bill’s hometown. The endowment currently supports four students. The Hobsons’ recurring contributions to the scholarship positively change the lives of these recipients.
The Hobsons also support The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. Currently, 16 TXST students receive scholarship support from the foundation. These students represent the Hobsons’ impact on both Marine children and the Texas State University community.
And this October, the Hobsons made a gift of $250,000 to establish a permanent endowment for the William and Loma Hobson Endowed Scholarship in Nursing. The endowment will award scholarships to undergraduate students in the St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University who demonstrate a financial need.
Bill Hobson, former senior vice president for UBS Wealth Management, US, is a Marine veteran. He currently owns and operates Hobson’s Choice Ranch in Sealy. He is a longtime supporter of The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Boys & Girls Club of Austin County, and Texas State University. The Hobsons also established a Career and Technical Education program in Culinary Arts at Sealy High School.
Texas State appreciates Bill and Loma for more than 30 years of dedication to ensuring students in Texas have access to the educational opportunities they deserve.
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Carol Plassmann, class of 1969, invests in student teachers
Carol Plassmann (B.S. ’69) says she always knew she wanted to be an educator. As the only child of a teacher, she would often visit her mother’s classroom and would play school with her friends. In high school, she was part of a future teachers group.
Carol is a native Texan. Her father, Louis James, attended TXST for one year before the start of World War II. He enlisted in 1943 and served as a combat cameraman in the Pacific theater. After returning home to Belton, he ran a successful photography business, and his wife, Marie, taught school in Belton. The family moved to Austin in the 1960s.
When it came time for college, Carol says she was ready to leave Austin, and Texas State was close enough to please her parents.
“The professors were wonderful—so kind,” she says. “I remember Dr. Little, a history professor who would loan me books from his personal library. I also had a geography teacher who was there when I needed help.”
Carol graduated in 1969 with a degree in elementary education and later earned her K-12 teaching certification. She completed her student teaching in a Del Valle first grade class.
When she entered the profession, Carol opted to teach middle school history. Her teaching included trying to find “off-the-wall things to tell them about history — and to see their eyes light up.”
Carol mentored at least three student teachers during her career. “I was not ever going to turn one down,” she says. “They were great teachers, but they were apprehensive at first.”
Carol retired in 2004 after a career teaching in private and public schools in Austin, Spring, and Tyler. Carol and her husband, Charlie, have been loyal supporters of Texas State and established an endowment, The Carol Plassmann Endowed Scholarship, that benefits students pursuing teacher certification while student teaching. Carol also included Texas State in her estate plans, making a gift in her will to support her endowed scholarship.
“We’re very grateful to the Plassmanns for their generosity and also their leadership in establishing our first endowed scholarship specifically for student teachers,” College of Education Dean Michael O’Malley says. “Support for student teachers is a priority for us, given that our aspiring teachers can experience unique financial stressors in their last semester due to the full-time nature of unpaid student teaching in tandem with related university course work, which limits time available for income from part-time work. This scholarship will help students complete their degrees and make the most of their student teaching experiences to become the highest quality teachers for the schools of Texas.”
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“Texas State has always felt like home to me. As a legacy, alumna, staff member, and current graduate student, I have been able to see all the work that goes into making this university the great institution it is. Everyone is so passionate about what they are doing and is truly here to make a difference. I chose to support the Terry Hernandez Pacheco Endowed Scholarship. My grandmother Terry Pacheco was a Texas State University (SWT) graduate and served the School of Social Work for many years. She inspired my own academic and career journey here at Texas State. Giving to this fund ensures that her memory is kept alive while also providing scholarship opportunities for students.”
- Charlcee Cervantez, College of Education Communications and Outreach Coordinator and an annual giving donor
Academics: Research Drives Innovation
The next new product or hot startup often comes out of research that takes place at the university level. But without funds for further development, innovative ideas can have a hard time reaching commercial viability. Funding and gifts-in-kind from corporations help TXST find new ways to attract and retain the faculty and students to lead the world forward. Standing out in a competitive academic landscape requires TXST to recruit and retain the best faculty, graduate exceptional students, and generate new knowledge that makes a difference in the world.
Dell and NVIDIA support engineering research into smart firefighting
Dell Technologies and NVIDIA Corporation offer AI solutions to accelerate our digital performance through real-time data to help first responders better assess emergency situations to refine their entry tactics, minimize risk, and save lives.
In February 2021, Dell contributed three Dell Data Science Workstations to TXST. Dell and NVIDIA also funded three graduate students and one part-time undergraduate student to do research for a Performance Analysis Study with Dr. Damian Valles in the Ingram School of Engineering.
To enhance smart firefighting, Valles was awarded additional funding from Dell-NVIDIA for human detection using infrared sensors and Scream DL Classifiers and Prototype Development of Autonomous Vehicle Units.
Dell also supported project expenses, including two graduate students from March to July 2022, as well as faculty support for the Data Workstation Application Project.
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H-E-B helps Meadows Center provide access and education
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment received grant funding from H-E-B in December 2022. A portion of the gift provides support to further the Meadows Center onsite ADA compliance initiative known as Access for All. These initiatives will work to expand access for every member of our community to accessible standards. This year, a new ADA-accessible boardwalk was added to aid access to the glass-bottom boat dock. The Meadows Center will also incorporate permeable pavers around its ticket kiosk to ease access challenges and improve runoff infiltration.
The remaining funds will be used to support the education and outreach programs including Earth Day San Marcos, Family Fun Days, and field trips for local area schools. Funds may also be used for faculty and staff support, and program/operational support.
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The Meadows Foundation establishes an endowed chair at the Meadows Center
Endowed chairs and professorships help Texas State recruit and retain the top minds across campus. Each position also serves as a lasting tribute to the generous donors who establish them and provides a meaningful impact. Early in the campaign, The Meadows Center Foundation established an endowment to support the Meadows Center for Water Conservation Chair. The endowment will support the faculty recipient’s scholarly activities, to include teaching, research, and service. In 2023, Soe Myint, Ph.D., of the Department of Geography, was selected to be the Chief Conservation Officer & Meadows Endowed Chair in Water Conservation. Dr. Myint’s research interest includes remote sensing, geospatial technology, environmental issues, water use and management, landscape ecology, and ecosystem services.
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“The scholarship I received means the world to me as I am a student who goes to school full time and works throughout the week to pay for extra expenses. I plan to be very successful this school year and pull myself closer to my future — not only for myself as the first generation in my family, but to also set a great example for my little brothers.”
- Serena Rodrigues, undergraduate student in Health Management
Athletics: Bobcat Pride
The Texas State University Athletics Department provides opportunities for student-athletes to compete on national stages and develop lifelong skills while raising TXST’s profile.
Bobcat Baseball alum Tyler Sibley’s gift aids planned expansion of Bobcat Ballpark
Texas State University is proud to recognize former baseball All-American Tyler Sibley for his $1 million leadoff gift towards the expansion of Bobcat Ballpark. Sibley’s gift is part of a proposed $8 million, privately funded expansion project.
Plans for the new indoor state-of-the-art player development complex include: three full-size indoor batting cages; a fully air-conditioned pitching laboratory; player development performance technology; a locker room and game day lounge for baseball and softball student-athletes; an indoor hospitality lounge with deck overlooking left field; more stadium seating and field boxes; a new box office for baseball and softball; and graphics to enhance the new complex that will feature notable former players, conference championships, postseason appearances, All-Americans, and other noteworthy awards and achievements to tell the story of Texas State.
“Even after his amazing career at Texas State, Tyler continues to set records and make an impact on our university,” Texas State President Kelly Damphousse says. “He is once again leading the way by making the first gift to expand Bobcat Ballpark and most importantly, improving the student-athlete experience. We are so proud that Tyler is a Bobcat and grateful for his generosity, vision, and investment in the future of Texas State and our student-athletes.”
Since his graduation in 2012, Tyler has remained active with Texas State Athletics by serving as the President of the Texas State Athletics "T" Association and currently sitting on its Board of Directors. Sibley is a principal of San Antonio-based Kairoi Residential, which is a full-service real estate investment, management, and development firm focused on multifamily and mixed-use communities across the country. He also founded San Marcos-based Pursuant Capital Ventures (2015) and Pursuant Ventures Development (2016), which have invested in strategic real estate assets and operating company ventures in markets across the country.
“Becoming a Texas State Bobcat was truly where my journey began as a baseball player, a business professional, and a person,” Sibley said. “I’m forever grateful for Coach Ty Harrington providing me with an opportunity to join the Texas State baseball family that’s as tight knit as it is fun. I’ve been so blessed and feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to hit leadoff on this transformational stadium expansion project that will completely change the environment and experience that Bobcat Baseball student-athletes and fans will call home. This is the critical moment for our university, athletics department, and our baseball program. My hope is that this gift will encourage other donors and alums to get involved in our pursuit for Bobcat Baseball excellence and to step up and give back to a place that has given us all so much.”
In addition to this gift, Sibley previously established the Tyler M. Sibley Endowed Scholarship in Student-Athlete Excellence. It awards an annual scholarship to a Texas State baseball student-athlete in the McCoy College of Business majoring in accounting, finance, or economics while earning a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
With this gift, Sibley becomes the youngest member in Texas State University history to join the Texas State Heroes, a distinguished group of 82 individuals, companies, and foundations that have donated $1 million or more to Texas State University.
The Sibley gift moves the university toward a major goal of renovating Bobcat Ballpark as part of the $250 million NEXT IS NOW capital campaign.
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“I am proud to be a member of the Bobcat Family. This community has embraced me with open arms, and if there is anything that I can do to help a fellow Bobcat I will. I believe in being the change that I want to see in the world, and I think it starts by being selfless and doing all that we can do to contribute to the betterment of mankind.”
- Terrence Johnson, Head Coach of Men’s Basketball and annual giving donor
Campuses: The Power of Music
By investing in facilities that support our community, we ensure TXST’s continued growth and strength. The School of Music has the human infrastructure in place but needs the physical infrastructure to provide the expert learning opportunities that TXST students need. The music program lives and breathes excellence. Imagine what can happen when the School of Music has a facility that can match the caliber of the talent that it’s recruiting.
The FitzPatrick family support a new TXST School of Music building
Sisters Shannon FitzPatrick, of San Marcos, and Kathleen FitzPatrick, of Georgetown, have donated the first $1 million to Texas State University to fund the construction of a new School of Music building on the San Marcos Campus.
Originally intended for 200 music students, the current music building started out as a gymnasium and was converted into a music building in 1983. Since then, the School of Music has grown dramatically, with 30 music ensembles, the 350-member Bobcat Marching Band, symphony orchestra, six choral ensembles, opera, four jazz bands, a rock ensemble, two salsa bands, two mariachi groups, and 12 smaller instrumental ensembles. As one of the top music programs in the country, students are accepted through competitive auditions. Faculty members have won 10 Grammy awards and received 14 Grammy nominations to date.
When completed, the new music building will serve almost 600 music majors and 80-plus faculty who are now spread across five buildings. The proposed facility will contain nearly 110,000 square feet of space for classrooms, studios, faculty offices, rehearsal and practice rooms, music research and innovation labs, and a student lounge.
The FitzPatrick family has a long-standing relationship with Texas State spanning three generations. Shannon and Kathleen's mother, Merry Kone FitzPatrick, graduated from Texas State—then Southwest Texas State Teachers College—in 1942. Merry taught for four decades in the university’s Department of History as an associate professor, being recognized and awarded as one of Texas State’s finest teachers. Both Shannon and Kathleen followed in their mother's footsteps and attended Texas State. Shannon worked at Texas State for two decades as the university’s Attorney for Students and the coordinator for the Leadership Institute. She co-chaired the 2017-18 Common Experience theme on justice, retiring from the university in 2019.
In 1983, Merry Kone FitzPatrick, and her brother, Robert Kone, established the endowed Lewis Woods Kone Jr. Choral Scholarship to honor their late brother, a Texas State alumnus and a music educator, who was a founding member of the Texas State Gamma Phi chapter of a national fraternity for music students. In 1997, the family established the Merry Kone FitzPatrick Endowed Scholarship. Shannon recently established a permanent endowment to fund the Lewis Woods Kone Junior Music Scholarship.
The FitzPatrick family’s gift moves the university toward a major goal of the $250 million NEXT IS NOW capital campaign: to build a new music building that reflects the national reputation of Texas State’s students and faculty.
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"Thank you for all you do! My degree will be the first step to continuing to pursue my dream to work in university athletics. Words don’t describe how grateful I am for this opportunity, once a Bobcat always a Bobcat!"
- Lauryn Thompson, master’s student in Interdisciplinary Studies