Want to get involved in our core mission of producing the next generation of leaders and communicators? There is no better way to impact the lives of our students than by supporting our endowed scholarship program.

Many of our students come from homes of modest means – and with tuition and expenses rising, we lack the resources to assist them as much as we’d like. Our goal is to insure that every College of Communication student has the resources they need to thrive and succeed at The University.

The College is currently conducting fundraising drives for a number of scholarships – many of them honoring the work, dedication and legacy of some of our most beloved faculty or staff members. Your contribution of any size to any one of them will provide much needed support in perpetuity for generations of communication students to come. You can read more about them below.

Griff Singer Endowment | Nick Cominos Fund | Margaret Surratt Scholarship | Darrell D. Rocha Scholarship | Brandon Schantz Memorial Scholarship | Alan Scott Scholarship | J. Michael Quinn Scholarship | Rousse-Miller Debate Fund | Individual Events Endowment

You may make a gift or pledge online via our secure giving page. Just use the drop-down menu to indicate the endowment you wish your gift to be credited to. To make a contribution by check, please download the appropriate PDF from the menu to your right and mail to the development office. If you are interested in creating a new scholarship or wish to discuss a multi-year pledge, please contact the Communication Development Office at (512) 475-9165.

The S. Griffin Singer Student Support Endowment

(School of Journalism)

The S. Griffin Singer Student Support Endowment was created by former students to honor Senior Lecturer S. Griffin Singer. “Griff”, as he is affectionately known by colleagues and students, is a former newspaperman who has inspired and guided hundreds of UT Journalism students since the 1960’s. He retired from full time teaching in 2002. He continues to work for the School of Journalism as a consultant and as director of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Center for Editing Excellence.

The scholarship provides support for undergraduate students in the School of Journalism. Areas of support include (but are not limited to) scholarship awards, internship stipends, and emergency grants and loans. To make an online gift to the Singer Scholarship, please visit our secure giving page, or download the PDF gift form from the menu to the right.

Nicolas Cominos Fund

(Radio-Television-Film)

The RTF department lost a great friend last year with the passing of former senior lecturer Nick Cominos, who was known for his fierce passion for learning and endless generosity to countless students. Like any great teacher, Cominos’ influence continues to be felt by the students and colleagues whom he advised and mentored.

To honor Cominos’ 18 years of service to the RTF department and his commitment to documentary filmmaking, colleagues and former students of Cominos are seeking to establish a fellowship in his name. When fully funded, the Nick Cominos Graduate Fellowship will provide support to graduate students who are producing documentary films with a humanitarian focus. To make an online gift to the fund, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF gift form from the menu to the right.

Margaret Surratt Endowed Scholarship

(Communication Studies)

Department of Communication Studies administrator Margaret Surratt came to the University as a student and loved it so much she never left. After her graduation in 1969 she came to help a friend in the advising office of the College before joining the communication studies department in 1971 where she served as a confidant to four decades of students and seven different department chairs. After 40 years of exemplary service, Surratt is retiring from the University.

To recognize Margaret’s extraordinary service to the department and the college, the communication studies faculty is raising funds for an undergraduate scholarship in her name. When fully funded, the Margaret Surratt Endowed Scholarship will be given yearly to a communication studies student based on both financial need and academic achievement. To make a donation, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF gift form from the menu to the right.

Darrell D. Rocha Scholarship in Communication

(College of Communication Freshmen)

The Darell D. Rocha Scholarship was created by a former student to honor the assistant dean of student affairs for his commitment to helping and mentoring students in the College of Communication. Through his supervision of groups like COMaraderie, which supported and mentored minority students at the College, Rocha has worked tirelessly to make sure all communication students have the support and assistance they need to succeed while at The University.

The scholarship benefits incoming freshman students (of any major in the College) who are first generation college students, have qualified for financial aid, and have demonstrated excellence in leadership and community service during their high school careers. The award can support either in-residence study or study-abroad. To make a donation to the scholarship, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF gift form from the menu on the right.

Brandon Schantz Memorial Endowment Fund

(Broadcast Journalism)

UT alumnus Brandon Schantz ('02) passed away on December 6, 2007 from a rare cancer. A native of San Francisco’s East Bay, Brandon graduated from the broadcast journalism program in 2002 with dreams of becoming a television host. Post graduation he relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming to become the youngest local station sports director in CBS history. His aspirations led him to Los Angeles, where with his one-of-a-kind brilliance and creative determination, Brandon Schantz Productions was a successful reality within a year.

Brandon's personality graced everyone he met from his childhood through his successful career as a producer in Los Angeles.  To honor his life, his friends and family have organized a fund raising campaign to establish an endowment in the School of Journalism. When fully funded, the endowment will support annual summer internships for students seeking careers in broadcast journalism. To make a donation, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF gift form from the menu to the right.

For more about Brandon’s life and activities related to the fund drive, visit the Brandon Schantz web site

The Alan Scott Scholarship

(Public Relations)

The Alan Scott Scholarship Fund was created to honor the late Dr. Alan Scott. Dr. Scott was a long time faculty member in the Program in Public Relations who helped create the very foundation of the program. As the first full time public relations professor in the country, Dr. Scott had a significant impact on both his students and his colleagues. He also helped establish the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), today’s leading pre-professional student organization in public relations.

The Alan Scott Scholarship Fund will provide scholarship support to upper-division students majoring in public relations. To make a donation, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF form from the menu on the right.

Learn more about Dr. Alan Scott and, please visit the Texas Public Relations Program in the Department of Advertising.

J. Michael Quinn Scholarship and Student Support Endowment

(School of Journalism)

The J. Michael Quinn Scholarship and Student Support Endowment was created to honor Mike Quinn, the late associate dean of the College of Communication. During a career spanning 37 years, Dean Quinn devoted his career to the pursuit of excellence in journalism and journalism education.

Recognizing Quinn’s devotion to journalism and his ability to touch the hearts and minds of students, the endowment will permanently benefit the School of Journalism. Funds distributed from the endowment will be used to provide financial support to students in journalism for scholarship awards, travel and internships.

The scholarship supports upper-division students in print journalism and can be used for travel to conferences or professional meetings or internship. To make a donation, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF form from the menu on the right.

The Tom Rousse/Edd Miller Debate Fund

Forensic Debate has existed at The University of Texas at Austin for almost the entire history of the University. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, the program began to gain national prominence under the leadership of Tom Rousse and N. Edd Miller. The Rousse/Miller Debate Fund was created to honor their contributions and to provide support for the University’s Forensic Debate Program, one of the most storied programs in the U.S.

The Debate Scholarship Endowment will provide scholarship and travel support to students who participate in the Forensics Program. The endowment will also provide general support for the debate program. To make a donation, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF form from the menu on the right.

Learn more about the Forensic Debate Program.

The Endowment for Excellence in Individual Events

The Endowment for Excellence in Individual Events was created to provide permanent support for the University of Texas competitive speech program. Established as a separate program from the Debate Team in 1988, the Individual Events Team has consistently ranked as one of the most successful programs in the country, with students winning 22 separate national championships between 1988-2005. The program continues the connection of the University of Texas to the Delta Sigma Rho national honorary forensic society, and to the American Forensic Association and National Forensic Association.

The Endowment for Excellence in Individual Events will provide permanent support for the team's competitive travel and student operations. To make a donation, please visit our secure giving page or download the PDF form from the menu on the right.

For more information on the team and its history, please visit the team's official website or contact the team's director, Randy Cox.