WT Signs Agreement with Daniels Fund to Provide Full-Ride Scholarships

Students from New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming Eligible for $19,000 Annually

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Students from four western states may be eligible for full-ride scholarships to West Texas A&M University thanks to an agreement signed Jan. 23 between WT and a major charitable foundation.

WT President Walter V. Wendler was joined by officials from the Daniels Fund at an 11 a.m. Jan. 23 ceremony in the WT central administration suite in Old Main.

The memorandum of understanding will ensure that eligible students will receive a $19,000 annual scholarship from the Daniels Fund to attend WT. The University will ensure Daniels Scholars do not incur out-of-pocket expenses for tuition, fees, books, room and board while they obtain their degree, Wendler said.

Students must be selected by the Daniels Fund to be eligible for the support.

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative.

Established in 2000, the Daniels Fund has since awarded more than $260 million in scholarships to more than 5,000 Daniels Scholars to attend any university in the United States.

“Bill Daniels’ example of stewarding the resources he acquired in life to help others through giving generously is both inspiring and humbling,” Wendler said. “Giving to help others is an essential part of my Christian belief.”

About 40 Daniels Scholars have attended WT since 2012, including 22 currently enrolled.

“I hope you will come to understand the amazing opportunity being given to you and investment being made in you,” Wendler said to Daniels Fund scholars in attendance. “Everyone in this room believes it is a good and worthy investment because you are and will continue to be an engaged citizen who makes our world better, which was most likely one of Bill Daniels’ intentions in establishing the Daniels Fund.”

Daniels Scholars are selected for their character, leadership potential and commitment to serving their communities.

“Daniels Scholars are no ordinary students. They have triumphed in a rigorous and competitive process, earning this honor through their diligence, integrity, service to their communities and belief in the promise of opportunity in our great country,” said Josh Green, senior vice president of the Daniels Fund scholarship program.

Green noted that WT’s current roster of 22 Daniels Scholars is “a rare feat for a non-partner campus,” noting that students chose WT because the University “embodies the values” of the Daniels Fund.

“This institution, under President Wendler’s exemplary leadership, provides not just a world-class education but fosters an environment where the promise of the American Dream thrives,” Green said. “It’s no surprise that students with such strong character and vision would choose this special place as their academic home.”

Wendler said the partnership essentially sets up the Daniels Fund as a recruiter for WT.

“The scholarships the Daniels Fund provides are very competitive, and the screening process is taken seriously,” Wendler said. “These are students we want at WT.”

Creating a commitment to being self-reliant, courageous, resourceful and part of something larger than one’s self in its students is a key mission of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World and central to the work of the University’s Hill Institute.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: West Texas A&M University President Walter V. Wendler, left, and Josh Green, senior vice president of the Daniels Fund scholarship program, right, sign a memorandum of understanding that will ensure that eligible students will receive a $19,000 annual scholarship from the Daniels Fund to attend WT. 

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