Q&A with Carliss Hyde, Vice President of Institutional Advancement

What does your job in Institutional Advancement entail?

My job is about getting external dollars into the institution and managing those dollars appropriately — whether it's grants or gifts. In addition to submitting proposals and asking for donations, my team supports the process of receiving funds and administering them in accordance with law, compliance and individual donor wishes.

With grants we are accountable to a legal body or state or federal agency, but on the pure development side, we are accountable to a donor, a friend. There's more of a personal story behind individual donations and those gifts are also managed much more personally than are grants. Compliance on grants is essentially a legal matter.

Does your office make the donation process smoother?

We already have a very solid relationship with industry and donors at the departmental level. What is helpful for them is anything we can do to get their donations distributed more efficiently. We've always had the relationships; we just haven't had the infrastructure. Fortunately, our offices of Financial Aid and Student Accounting provide very high level support to the process (not to mention training me when that's necessary) so that the process can be as smooth as possible.

What are some points you focus on when talking to donors?

I talk to two sets of people. One set already knows us and places a high value on what we do — our industry partners. With them, the focus is always about how we can take this discussion from the board room to a student getting a scholarship or a department getting equipment.

The other set includes groups like foundations who don't know how TSTC fits into the picture of higher education or why they should invest their dollars with us.

For this group, my message is that we are unique among colleges and universities. TSTC's mission is at the intersection of the traditional academy and economic development.  It's unique.

How do donors directly affect students?

Our industry partners and advisors give donations of equipment that are used in labs, providing a learning environment that we simply could not afford otherwise. Our donors also provide scholarships and sponsorships.  Some donors provide scholarships that can benefit any student — they leave the selection to us.  

Other companies provide sponsorships, providing a particular student's tuition, fees and supplies, in return for which the student commits to work for the company after graduation. It's a win-win! Finally, donors can give cash donations to the college. As our appropriated money decreases, gifts to the college help us to keep programs and positions we might otherwise lose.

How do they affect the state?

A gift of equipment provides infrastructure long after this current body of students passes through and goes on to work. Through these contributions, we're capable of serving more companies and have increased economic impact because our graduates have a higher skill level.

Companies talk about the amount of time an employee has to work there before they're worth their salary — they measure it. With our graduates it's a very short time. They're worth their pay very quickly and that's because our infrastructure is maintained at an industry-ready level. Industry makes that possible for us by giving equipment and creating an environment that has a lasting impact.

The state of Texas is made stronger when we're made stronger. Companies cannot grow without a competent workforce. Those things go together.

What unique gifts have you received?

We've received a gift of original aviation artwork for the new aviation building from Bill Ward, a donor out of Austin. That's a very unique gift. He's also giving us some museum-caliber models for the new building and even models of planes that were used here historically when TSTC was an air force base.

Scholarship memorials to faculty members or students are very meaningful. Recently we had alumni come back to give a scholarship to the college because their experience here changed the quality of their life so much they wanted to make that possible for another person. It was a thank you to their department. 

In other instances, memorial gifts have established a way for TSTC to maintain a connection to the family member of a TSTC employee, student or advisory committee member who is no longer living.  Keeping that historical link alive is very important to us.

What are the ways to give to TSTC and how can donors get started?

Contact our office. We'd be happy to visit with anyone interested in giving to TSTC. Each gift is unique, and we like to take the time to work out agreements to give the donor confidence that their gift will be implemented in the way they want it to be.  We manage each gift according to the donor's wishes. When a donor is ready to move from discussion to award, our team works out an agreement spelling out the amount and nature of the gift along with any specific guidelines the donor outlines.  

To learn more about giving to TSTC, contact the Institutional Advancement office at (254) 867-2009. Carliss Hyde can be reached directly at (254) 867-4843 or carliss.hyde@tstc.edu.