The St. Edward's Fund Nearing Annual
Participation Goals

With only a few days left, The St. Edward’s Fund is closing in on its annual goal of securing gifts from 15 percent of the university’s alumni base. With tuition and fees covering only 70 percent of the full cost of educating students, the fund is crucial in filling the gap by:

• Providing critical operating funds for each academic year
• Fostering the creative and intellectual potential of students
• Supporting student scholarships and on-campus educational experiences

For example, the availability of critical operating funds ensures that St. Edward's maintains its contract with Actors' Equity Association (AEA), which allows theater students who successfully complete the requirements of the Membership Candidate Program to become eligible for membership in the AEA. We are the only undergraduate theatre program in the country with this affiliation.

Additional evidence of the importance of The St. Edward’s Fund is found in the intellectual achievements of our students. For their senior research project last fall, Linus Akanoh, ’06, and classmate Chris Cahill, ’05, began researching ways technology could detect corporate fraud earlier and more effectively. Using existing accounting detection algorithms, ratio analysis and historical trending techniques, they analyzed the financial statements of fraudulent publicly traded companies like Enron and WorldCom to look for signs of trouble.

The duo presented their “Financial Statements Investigations and Analysis” report at the annual Texas Academy of Science meeting in March 2005. They became the first business students in the history of the academy to win an award when they placed third. Two months later, they also won first place at SOURCE, the university’s annual Symposium On Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression.

As undergraduate Jessica Burkemper, ’07, who currently serves as the executive chair of the Student Alumni Association, states, “Without the fund, I would not be able to afford to go to such an amazing school and participate in so many activities.”

Others, like New College student Mona Allen, ’07, note that the fund “has made the difference between just attending and graduating from college.”

Help future students achieve their dreams of a college education. If you have not yet made your gift, contribute to The St. Edward’s Fund today.