Naveen Jindal School of Management alumni and longtime supporters Nancy Gundy Davidson, BS’80, and Charles (Chuck) Davidson, MS’80, have made a $500,000 gift to endow the Charles and Nancy Davidson Scholarship for the Jindal Young Scholars Program.

Now in its third year, the Jindal Young Scholars Program is a pillar of UT Dallas’ community outreach initiatives. In partnership with five Dallas Independent School District high schools, the program provides resources that help broaden opportunities for local students after high school.

“We’re trying to make students aware of what it takes to transition from high school to their postsecondary lives,” said Billy Schewee, director of JYSP. “Whether that’s a traditional four-year college, two-year college, vocational school — or whatever that looks like for them. Anything we can offer that increases what is available to students after high school is a win for us.”

To accomplish this goal, JYSP embraces a multipronged approach to engage students, including guest speaker series, mentorship opportunities with current UT Dallas students, ACT/SAT test prep encouragement and campus visits to UT Dallas that provide a glimpse of college life to students who may never have been on a college campus.

JYSP also offers significant scholarships to participants admitted to the Jindal School, covering any unmet need after federal, state and institutional financial assistance is granted. These awards provide an incentive for DISD students to engage with the program’s offerings and apply themselves academically.

Endowments like the Davidsons’ scholarship support talented students while providing the resources needed for JYSP to grow.

“Even though the majority of our programming is geared toward high school students, the overwhelming majority of our costs comes from funding these scholarships for UT Dallas students,” Schewee said. “When folks like the Davidsons come through, that’s exactly what we need to provide for more students. It helps us get down to business with our primary mission.”

The Jindal School currently enrolls 15 Jindal Young Scholars, and more than 300 students participate annually in JYSP’s various initiatives.