Meribeth and Richard T. Wilkinson ’82 have established the Meribeth and Richard T. Wilkinson ’82 Scholarship to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students in good standing who are pursuing an undergraduate degree in industrial and systems engineering from Texas A&M University. The scholarship is designed to further their commitment to developing industrial engineering leaders of the future.
The Wilkinsons have established a legacy of support to the university by funding a diamond endowment through the Association of Former Students. “This time we wanted to be more specific, keeping true to my journey with Texas A&M and the industrial and systems engineering department,” Rick said.
“Rick’s career as an Aggie industrial engineer has led us all over the country and world, but Aggieland has always been home,” Meribeth said. “We have four children, and our last child will graduate from Texas A&M in May of 2020. As we dwindled down to just one left in college, we started thinking about how we wanted to continue supporting young adults as they complete their education.”
“Whether working for consulting firms, large corporations or serving on industry boards or academic advisory councils, I have always been an ardent Aggie ambassador, doing the best for my company, my industry and developing future industrial engineers,” Rick said.
As a scholarship recipient himself, Rick understands the impact a scholarship can have on a student’s ability to attend and graduate with a degree from Texas A&M. The Wilkinsons view their endowment establishment as a way to give back to their Aggie family and pay it forward to future Aggie industrial and system engineers.
“Our scholarship is for an industrial and systems engineering sophomore, junior or senior with a 3.0 GPA or higher," they said. "We want to encourage and provide support for future industrial and systems engineering leaders.”