Message from the President

Dear St. Mary’s University Constituent,

St. Mary’s University is working hard to restore funding of the Tuition Equalization Grant, and we need your help. Launched in 1971, the TEG program helps Texas students with financial need attend one of Texas’ 40 private colleges and universities. However, recent state government cuts have limited students’ opportunities.

The TEG helps close the tuition gap between state-supported schools and schools like St. Mary’s. Private colleges and universities enroll 11 percent of the state’s college students, yet we award 22 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in Texas and 25 percent of all graduate and professional degrees. Here in Bexar County, the impact is even more dramatic: private schools award 44 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 46 percent of all degrees. And, St. Mary’s has one of the highest graduation rates in our region!

The price to fund TEG is small compared to state-supported education. The TEG—with an average yearly grant of $2,419—makes good business sense because it is about one-third of the cost of subsidizing a student at a public institution each year ($7,306). Taxpayers save money when a Texas student enrolls at St. Mary’s or another private school. In other words, if the almost 34,000 TEG recipients at private institutions were enrolled at public institutions instead, taxpayers would have an additional $246 million tax burden.

The TEG program is an investment in education for our students and the future. We are not asking legislators for the sun and the moon. We are simply asking that TEG funding be restored to 2002 levels, or about $82 million. When the 78th Texas Legislature met in 2003, it slashed TEG funding by 14.5 percent, to $70.3 million, which meets less than half of students’ demonstrated TEG need.

TEG funds allocated to St. Mary’s each year are the equivalent of an annual $4 million gift to scholarships. TEG funds help keep a St. Mary’s University education affordable and accessible. Our students cannot afford further cuts to the program.

Please take a moment to review the messages we have drafted for our various constituents. And when you see the value of the TEG, I hope I can count on you to help us lead a special advocacy effort for the program by contacting your state representative and senator before the 79th Legislature convenes on Jan. 11, 2005.

We’ve made it easy for you to participate in the St. Mary’s University e-campaign to restore TEG funding by following the links on the left side of this page. Especially effective are personal letters of support of the TEG written and mailed to your legislators. In just a few minutes, you can make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of St. Mary’s students.

Thank you in advance for your help. Together we can work for a better future.

Charles L. Cotrell, Ph.D. (B.A. '62; M.A. '64)
President