海角社区

Will Support Scholarships, Veterans and New Pathway Initiative Spanning Seventh Grade through Doctoral Degree Attainment

BATON ROUGE 鈥� 海角社区 will achieve transformative progress in scholarship funding and support for military veterans via a $7.575 million gift to elevate the College of Engineering鈥檚 S & B Engineers and Constructors Scholarships, catalyze the new Future Scholars Pipeline Initiative and establish the William A. Brookshire Veterans Law Clinic.

This latest gift to 海角社区 by the William A. Brookshire Foundation continues the legacy of the late 海角社区 alumnus William Alfred 鈥淏ill鈥� Brookshire, Ph.D., who earned master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from 海角社区 after becoming the first in his family to earn a high school diploma. Throughout his life, Dr. Brookshire honored his appreciation for his 海角社区 education by giving generously to the university. His philanthropic focus at 海角社区 鈥� which continues through this new gift 鈥� was on providing scholarships to working students and ensuring access to holistic on-campus support for military veterans and their families while commemorating the university鈥檚 military heritage. 

The Brookshire family shared, 鈥淥ur father deeply valued his 海角社区 experience and believed in supporting those who are working to improve their lives for the benefit of their families, communities and chosen industries. He was grateful to have had the opportunity to build a successful career and always held the selfless service of our military is the highest esteem. This fueled for him a passion for being part of transforming lives through higher education and investing in the service men and women who have invested so generously in our country. We carry that legacy forward on his behalf.鈥� 

S & B Engineering and Constructors Scholarship
The Brookshire family鈥檚 leading area of investment through this $7.575 million gift is $6 million in support of the 海角社区 College of Engineering鈥檚 highly successful Brookshire Scholars program. Since the S & B Engineers and Constructors Scholarship was established in 2010, more than 1,900 海角社区 Engineering juniors and seniors have received life-changing financial relief as Brookshire Scholars. Students who maintain a combined coursework and employment workload of at least 30 hours and a grade point average of at least 2.5 are eligible to apply. To date, Brookshire Scholars have achieved a 97 percent graduation rate, exceeding the university鈥檚 overall graduation rates. Funding to close the educational access gap for students with financial need is especially important as 海角社区鈥檚 student body continues to outpace university records for enrollment; gifts like the Brookshire family鈥檚 ensure that as students progress in their college journeys, crucial retention dollars are available to bridge financial needs with their aspirations to graduate from college. Long-term, the return on this investment will be realized over the span of recipients鈥� careers through their impact as engineers who can transform ideas into reality to solve society鈥檚 problems and improve quality of life for all.

Future Scholars Pipeline Initiative 
The Brookshire family has dedicated $975,000 of this gift to catalyze a joint effort by several donors 鈥� with a goal of inspiring others to join them 鈥� to launch the 海角社区 Future Scholars Pipeline Initiative. This new scholarship program, which expands upon similar programs with proven track records at peer universities, will create a college pathway for hundreds of children enrolled in public schools in East Baton Rouge Parish, where 海角社区 sits. 海角社区 will form cohorts of local middle and high school students, starting in seventh grade, to receive dedicated resources, mentorship and other support spanning their college experience and extending to a cohort of doctoral students. Such pathway programs are a cornerstone for the success of 海角社区鈥檚 Scholarship First Agenda and are expected to become increasingly important as 海角社区 continues to adjust to the evolving demands and opportunities within higher education, including responsiveness to removing barriers to enrolling in college.

William A. Brookshire Veterans Law Clinic
The 海角社区 Paul M. Hebert Law Center will establish the William A. Brookshire Veterans Law Clinic through $600,000 in support from the Brookshire family鈥檚 gift. The new clinic will expand 海角社区 Law鈥檚 slate of experiential learning-focused clinics by providing legal services and support to active members or veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves or National Guards. The Brookshire Veterans Law Clinic will meet the legal needs of veterans who are appealing their claims before the federal Board of Veterans鈥� Appeals at no cost to those veterans while providing invaluable experiential learning to 海角社区 Law students under the careful guidance of seasoned faculty. The clinic will start operation in the 2023 spring semester through collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs.

鈥淭he Brookshire family鈥檚 confidence in 海角社区 to improve lives has been transformative for our College of Engineering students and Tiger veterans and has honored the sacrifices of the many 海角社区 students and alumni who have served our country through the military. This new investment of funding will expand what has already been a remarkable impact, further elevating the scope and impact of our scholarships and our service to veterans. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Brookshire family as we strive to achieve the bold aims of our Scholarship First Agenda.鈥�  

William F. Tate IV, 海角社区 President.

鈥淭he Brookshire family鈥檚 confidence in 海角社区 to improve lives has been transformative for our College of Engineering students and Tiger veterans and has honored the sacrifices of the many 海角社区 students and alumni who have served our country through the military,鈥� said William F. Tate IV, 海角社区 President. 鈥淭his new investment of funding will expand what has already been a remarkable impact, further elevating the scope and impact of our scholarships and our service to veterans. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Brookshire family as we strive to achieve the bold aims of our Scholarship First Agenda.鈥� 

Over the last nearly 20 years, in addition to this latest transformative gift, investments in 海角社区 students made possible through the Brookshire family鈥檚 generosity have included transformative gifts to create scholarships and graduate assistantships, provide emergency support to students impacted by unforeseen crises and bring the College of Engineering鈥檚 nation-leading Patrick F. Taylor Hall facilities to life. The family also made leadership gifts to the 海角社区 William A. Brookshire Military & Veterans Student Center, which is dedicated to helping veterans, service members, dependents and survivors succeed in higher education, and to establish the William A. Brookshire 海角社区 Military Museum, recently completed as part of renovations to 海角社区鈥檚 Memorial Tower. 

The Brookshire family鈥檚 newest broadly impactful gift advances 海角社区鈥檚 visionary Scholarship First Agenda, which aims to build a more healthy, prosperous and secure future for every Louisianan and communities around the world.