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Over fifteen years ago, Dr. Calvin Lin wanted to create a tight knit community of emerging computer scientists that fostered lifelong success and friendships. He accomplished this by building the Turing Scholars program in the Department of Computer Science at UT Austin.
In honor of his unwavering commitment to the Turing Scholars program, former and current students, parents, and colleagues are working to recognize his hard work and achievements through the creation of an endowment in his honor. This endowment will provide ongoing financial support to the Turing Scholars program and provide Dr. Lin with the resources needed to elevate the program to the next level. The endowment requires gifts and pledges of $25,000 and all pledges in support of The Calvin Lin Turing Scholars Endowment will be matched 1:1 by The Kodosky Foundation. Gifts can be pledged over a 5-year term.
How will the endowment help the program? This endowment would be used to both enrich the student experience, (for example, improving programming for upperclass Turing Scholars), and to provide funds for recruiting future students. Unlike most other honors programs at UT Austin, the Turing Scholars Program has no dedicated staff support, no recruiting budget, and almost no budget to support student activities.
Dr. Lin has dedicated over fifteen years to growing the Turing Scholars program. Help us elevate the Turing Scholars Program by making a gift today!
What is an endowment? Endowments are a sound investment in a better future. With an endowed gift, you provide permanent support for the University. Your gift is invested — never spent — and each year a distribution, like dividends on a mutual fund account, is made to your chosen program or area. Investment earnings above the dividend rate help the endowment value grow over time, to keep pace with inflation and maintain your endowment’s spending power.
What is a pledge? A pledge is a promise to pay a specific amount over a set period of time. Pledges for the Calvin Lin Turing Scholars Endowment can be made over a 5-year window. For example, if you make a $2,000 pledge today (matched by the Kodosky Foundation) you can pay off the pledge by making a $400 gift each December for the next four years. We will send you a reminder each December. If you would like to make a pledge today, click here.
Can I utilize my company match? YES! Many employers sponsor matching gift programs (Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc.) and will match any charitable contributions made by employees. To find out if your company has a matching gift program, please click here. Tip: You will need to request the matching gift from your employer.
What is a gift matching program? Matching gifts are donations a company, employer, or individual makes to match charitable contributions made to a specific cause. For the Calvin Lin Turing Scholars Endowment, The Kodosky Foundation will match your donation or pledge dollar-for-dollar up until December 31, 2018. Any gifts after this date will not be included in the Kodosky Foundation matching gift program.
The Turing Scholars Program is an honors program for outstanding Computer Science undergraduates. Housed in the nation's 8th-ranked Computer Science department, the program's mission is to provide a computer science education that is second to none. The program combines the advantages of a small college—small class sizes, close interaction with faculty, and honors housing—with the advantages of a large research university, including a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, and ample opportunities for interdisciplinary studies. Only the top 4.5 percent of the computer science class is admitted into The Turing Scholars Program. Graduates of the program are recruited by and work for some of the top technology firms in the world, including Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.
Interested in creating a named endowed scholarship utilizing the Kodosky Foundation match? We have had many Turing alumni and parents create a scholarship to honor a loved one or family. An endowed scholarship offers donors the opportunity to create a lasting legacy. Click here for more information.
For more information on endowed scholarships, please email Sarah Heier at sarah.heier@austin.utexas.edu.
The current class of freshmen Turing Scholars has 56 students, 80% of whom are Texans.15 of these students are women.
The median SAT Score for admitted Turing Scholar students is a 1560 out of 1600. The median SAT Quant score--800 out of 800.
Over the years, the Turing Scholars Program has matriculated students from 21 states and five foreign countries.
The percentage of Turing Scholars students who graduate with the thesis is steadily growing. Almost all that have gone on to graduate school for a PhD attend top 10 departments.
After graduation, some Turing Scholar students stay in Austin, but a large number head to Seattle, the Bay Area, and the East Coast. The program is now 15 years old and is about to accept its 16th class of students.
