Lee Bagan Endowment |
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The Lee Bagan Endowment was established by the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System on June 9, 2008, to benefit The University of Texas Office of Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement. The endowment honors Lee Bagan, who graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in 2005 and an M.A. in 2007, both in Middle Eastern Studies. Gift funds were provided by various donors.
Lee Bagan (left) speaking to a military unit. Lee Bagan spearheaded the fundraising effort in order to create this endowment through individual donations. Bagan’s campaign to help students with disabilities began about as small as you can get: with a cup and a cardboard sign on the Drag. Bagan was working to ensure that students with cognitive disabilities got the help they needed to succeed in college. “I was expecting to get change and a couple of dollars here and there,” he says. But the fund drive quickly became more sophisticated. Bagan launched a letter-writing campaign and spoke to student organizations. Before long, with the help of the Service for Students with Disabilities Department, $25,000 had been raised. At the insistence of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, the fully funded endowment was named for Lee Bagan. Bagan knows firsthand how difficult school can be for someone facing a learning disability, as he has since age 5. Income from the Bagan Endowment will provide scholarships for students facing cognitive disabilities. The scholarship will help underprivileged students pay for the psychological testing that would give them access to federal educational benefits. “Through this experience, I saw firsthand the kindness, devotion, and generosity of the UT student body,” Bagan says. “I am completely convinced that there are very few places on this earth where a random guy can sit with a cup and raise $26,000. This could never have happened if UT students did not love this university and care about the well-being of their colleagues." The Bagan Endowment continues to grow due to annual contributions from individual donors. To date, more than $50,000 has been raised. Bagan, now a Middle East and Central Asia expert with the Department of Defense, is currently serving in Afghanistan advising Naval Special Warfare Forces on the history, cultures, religions, geo-political dynamics, and insurgent groups throughout operationally relevant locales. Bagan previously deployed to Iraq as the Middle East Specialist for Navy SEAL Teams 1, 3, 7, and 10 from 2009-2010. For his service overseas, Bagan has been awarded the Superior Civilian Service Medal, the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, a Commander’s Commendation by Navy SEAL Team 3, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal. In May 2012, the University of Texas Alumni Association honored Bagan with the Outstanding Young Texas Exes Award. |
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