[PANORAMA: NMSU Alumni Magazine]
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Giving Back
This department contains multiple stories. Please make a selection:
› Building an Endowment is a Family Affair
› Aggie Family Loses Long-time Supporters
› New Giving Club Honors Gerald Thomas
› Endowments Run in this Family
› President's Associates Scholarships Popular
› Building a Family Legacy
President's Associates Scholarships Popular By Ann Palormo
"I want New Mexico's bright students to attend college in New Mexico and not be lured away by scholarship offers from colleges and universities in other parts of the country," says Greg Carrasco '80. As parents of six high school and college age children, he and his wife Patty '80 know that scholarship resources impact a student's decision-making process.

While serving on the President's Associates board of directors, Greg Carrasco witnessed each year that there were at least 10 highly qualified applicants for each of the 15 available scholarships. That was one of the reasons behind the Carrascos' decision to establish an endowment to support the President's Associates (PA) scholarship program.

"I know we don't have the resources to fund all of the applicants but it would be great to offer twice the number of scholarships that we do," Carrasco says.

The President' Associates Honors Scholarships support 60 students for a total of eight semesters each. The competitive award for graduating seniors from New Mexico high schools pays their tuition and $3,500 each year. Private funds support approximately $3,000 of each student's award for a total cost of $180,000 each year. About half of that comes from the PA Scholarship endowments and the rest is raised each year by the members of the volunteer board of directors.

"It is a year-round challenge that is met in $1,000 increments," says Brenda Porter, a former board president. "When board members and others create endowments, it takes some of the pressure off the annual campaign, but in the back of our minds is always the desire to increase the number of awards we can offer."
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