The Beck Group, a global design and construction company based in Dallas, has had a long relationship with the Naveen Jindal School of Management. The company recently expanded its commitment to the school by establishing a $100,000 endowment for the Jindal Young Scholars Program, the school’s signature scholarship program — one that provides full funding for four years for select Dallas Independent School District graduates.
The donation will be matched by Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and dean of the Jindal School, bringing the endowment to $200,000.
Chad Schieber, Beck’s chief marketing officer and a member of the Jindal School’s Advisory Council, stressed the imperative of having corporations support the development of the North Texas workforce.
“This endowment will transform the lives of Jindal Young Scholars students by providing scholarships that open doors to education and opportunity while bridging the college readiness gap,” he said. “This creates a ripple effect that elevates our community as a whole while building better lives.”
The vast majority of Jindal Young Scholars at the Jindal School are first-generation college students. They come from nine DISD high schools. JYSP started in 2017 with just five students attending The University of Texas at Dallas. The partnership prepares students by instilling a mindset of achievement. This semester, 43 undergraduate JYSP students are studying everything from accounting to healthcare management. Graduates have gone on to work at such organizations as KPMG, One Digital and the City of Irving.
JYSP students start on a college-readiness track during their freshman year of high school. The program provides them with the necessary skills needed to see college as an opportunity. It covers the full cost of tuition, housing and meals for select students after federal, state and institutional financial assistance is awarded.
Dr. William (Billy) Schewee, JYSP’s director, said providing an opportunity for students to attend college is an important mission. “Education is life-changing,” he said.
In addition to its work on the UT Dallas campus to create some of the most high-profile buildings at the school, including its most recent project, The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, The Beck Group previously established the Scholarship/Fellowship for Real Estate at JSOM. That program launched in 2020 with Beck’s $100,000 gift to support students in the real estate program.
The gift was announced at a Nov. 16 donor event that was hosted by JSOM’s Development and Alumni Relations team.
“This event was the brainchild of my team,” said Melissa Bettis, an assistant dean who heads the team. “We had the opportunity to come to Beck’s headquarters to kick off the holiday season and say thank you to our supporters.”
Those supporters play an important role in the success of UT Dallas students, Pirkul said at the event. “We are here to celebrate the supporters, donors and friends of our school. Their constant encouragement helps us to do the best for our students.”
Another, frequently unspoken, benefit is the coattail effect of having a child who is a college graduate — the ripple effect, as Schieber called it.
“JYSP students create a culture of learning and success for the whole family,” Schewee said. “They’re showing cousins and siblings what can be accomplished if you stick with your studies. They also frequently end up financially helping their family at home. It’s a win-win-win situation for everyone — the student, their family and the DFW economy. These students recognize the opportunity they have, and they are very hard working. They want to have a positive impact on their communities.”
Additional reporting by Jeanne Spreier
