Vaughns Create Endowed Scholarship To Support UT Students

Yesterday, The University of Tampa announced the establishment of a new endowed scholarship in recognition of President Ronald Vaughn, his wife, Renée, and their decades of service to the University.

The University of Tampa announced the establishment of a new endowed scholarship in recognition of President Ronald Vaughn, his wife, Renée, and their decades of service to the University.

The Dr. Ronald L. and Renée W. Vaughn Endowed Scholarship, created with an initial gift from the couple and bolstered with additional donations in their honor, will help to close the gap between students’ abilities to pay and actual costs of tuition and fees.

“It's very clear to us that there's a great need for additional scholarships,” President Vaughn said. “For us, UT is a labor of love where we're trying to make a difference in the lives of students.”

In addition to being inspired by students, the couple also was moved to create the fund by personal experience.

Both President Vaughn and Renée Vaughn were first-generation college students who struggled to pay for college. They both worked, sometimes multiple jobs, when they were students, so today when they see a student “working their tail off,” as President Vaughn called it, trying to achieve their degree, they understand.

More than 92% of UT students receive financial assistance through institutional aid, including scholarships and grants. Tuition and fees for UT’s 2023-2024 academic year total $33,424.

“We hear the individual stories every year,” Renée Vaughn said. “We see wonderful examples of very talented students, and without scholarships, these students wouldn't be here.”

President Vaughn will retire from UT in May after serving as president since January 1995. He is credited with transforming UT into a model metropolitan university. During his tenure, the University’s full-time enrollment has grown by over seven times; new enrollment records have been set 25 times during his years as president; and academic programs have been expanded to more than 200 areas of study.

An endowment is an ongoing gift to the University, as funds for the resulting student scholarships are pulled from the earned interest on the original investment. An endowment can be created by a single gift or a collective effort.

“The magic about an endowed scholarship is that even a small gift becomes permanent,” said Renée Vaughn.

Anyone who would like to support UT’s students is encouraged to create their own endowed scholarship. Or, if they wish, they may contribute to the Vaughns’ endowed scholarship. For more information, contact Keith Todd, vice president of development and university relations, at ktodd@ut.edu or (813) 257-3006.