Roland Parrish, a Dallas businessman and philanthropist, will give $50,000 to UNT Dallas to create an endowed scholarship, he announced at the school’s commencement Tuesday.
The scholarship will provide need- and merit-based support to students and prioritize those who are the first in their family to go to college or come from “historically underserved communities across North Texas”, according to a release.
The University of North Texas at Dallas has around 3,500 students, 70% of whom are first-generation college students.
The decorated businessman, who previously invested $5,000 at UNT Dallas’ 2017 graduation, pledged to contribute to the endowment annually, ensuring the fund continues to grow and serve more students.
“Education has been the single greatest accelerator in my life, and I believe deeply in opening that same door for the next generation of students,” Parrish said in a news release. “If I can help young people live the American dream, and it gives them a boost to stay in school and earn a degree — that’s what this is about.”
The scholarship marks the latest effort at the southern Dallas university to expand college access to Texans. UNT Dallas announced earlier this month that it would offer free tuition to Texas students whose families make $100,000 or less starting this fall.
President Warren von Eschenbach, who became UNT Dallas’ fourth president in August, has said the program will help students get a degree without going into debt. That education will, in turn, benefit students’ families and communities.
UNT Dallas is among the Texas universities with the lowest percentage of graduates in debt at 44%, according to 2024 data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
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