Generosity a family tradition for Andersons

Stephanie Anderson ’89

Stephanie Anderson says her grandmother’s ambition for her family to be attend and graduate from college changed the trajectory of her family; and this objective has carried on in Stephanie and her husband’s charitable mission statement to help other families change their trajectories through education.  The Dallas pair donated $60,000 to Mays Business School to create the Stephanie ’89 and Todd Anderson Family Business Honors Scholarship fund.

“We do donate to a lot of organizations, and there is a special place in my heart for the business school,” Anderson said. “Dean Strawser spent a lot of time explaining to us the need the school has to give scholarships that will enable some great kids to go to Texas A&M.” Anderson noted that she and her husband appreciate the small size of the classes in the business honors program and the quality of instruction the students receive.

“We sincerely appreciate the Andersons’ generosity,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “Their scholarship will provide opportunities and change the lives of many students at Mays for years to come.”

Anderson said her grandmother was a bobbin changer in a denim factory — a literal blue-collar worker — who was divorced in the 1940s, when single mothers were a rarity. She only had a high school education, but was determined to put her two daughters through college. “This was during a time when not many women were going to college, and my mother was enrolled in the Business Honors at the University of Georgia. She was the first in her family to complete college. That really changed the trajectory for our whole family, so I am happy to help others accomplish this.”

Anderson received her MBA from Texas A&M and was a teacher’s assistant in the finance department. “I still have lots of friends there and keep up with what is going on. It is an exciting time for Mays.” She is now managing director at AlixPartners LLP.

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.