Dallas Engineer Endows $1M Scholarship Through Estate
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
STILLWATER, OKLA. – Grateful for the experiences he encountered during his 40+ years
after graduation, Oklahoma State University alumnus Michael Harris and his wife Patricia
provided $1 million for OSU in their estate plan to create the Michael Harris Endowed
Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering. Harris hopes the gift will encourage future
OSU students to pursue an excellent education and world-class business opportunities.
“Our gift will not be the largest the Foundation receives by any means, but our hope
is that it may help a good student that needs some financial assistance stay in school
and finish their degree,” Harris said. “Scholarships like we are setting up might
have helped me if I had encountered financial problems at that point in my education.”
Although Harris and his wife included provisions to support OSU in their wills 25
years ago, they only recently designated their planned gift to support a scholarship
endowment they believe will have the greatest impact on students.
“We were excited to help the Harris’ put in place an arrangement that will benefit
engineering students for generations to come,” said Gary Clark, OSU Foundation Vice
President and General Counsel. “Planned gifts, such as the one provided by the Harris
family, are essential to the future of OSU. We are so grateful for the many OSU alums
who have made the decision to give back to the university.”
At the encouragement of a coworker, Harris enrolled at OSU in 1960 after serving
in the Army Reserve. After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree in 1966,
Harris began working for Phillips Petroleum as a project engineer. He was stationed
in Bartlesville, New York state, the North Sea, Venezuela and Dallas before retiring.
Harris credits his successful career and world travel to time spent at OSU.
“The School of Mechanical Engineering gave me confidence to function as an engineer
by applying our newly learned skills before graduating,” Harris said. “Learning to
ask faculty and staff for their help and insights in achieving my own goals established
an approach to dealing with projects that I use to this day.”
The Michael Harris Endowed Scholarship benefits junior or senior level mechanical
engineering students in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
“We are glad to be in a position to help both individual students and OSU,” Harris
said. “Hopefully the students who benefit from the scholarship will realize the importance
of making similar gifts, and will continue to support OSU.”
Mike and Patty Harris reside in the Dallas area, enjoy frequent international travel
and actively participate in OSU events.
The OSU Foundation is grateful to the Harris family for their loyal support of Oklahoma
State University. Planned gifts like the Harris’ are vital to OSU’s future and provide
lasting support for the university. Their gift creates a legacy that will endure
at OSU in a very prominent way.
The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization
for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university
passions and priorities to achieve excellence.
For more information on the OSU Foundation, log on to www.osuf.org <http://www.osuf.org/> or call 800.622.4678.