AAAA's Generosity Felt at UT

Through their scholarship program, the American Association of Advertising Agencies recently awarded scholarships to two University of Texas graduate advertising students.

In 1997, the American Association of Advertising Agencies formed the AAAA Foundation, Inc. as a means for the AAAA to accept charitable contributions for a variety of advertising industry-related purposes and to establish scholarship funds. Since its inception, the AAAA Foundation created the programs Operation Jumpstart and Operation Jumpstart II as a means of "jumpstarting" the number of multicultural employees in advertising agency creative departments. These programs include three different scholarship funds.

The John Mack Scholarship program, established in 1999, provides financial assistance to women pursuing master's degrees in a media or planning program at the Ad Center at the Virginia Commonwealth University. Through the AAAA, DDB Needham, in honor of Bill Bernbach, established the Bill Bernbach Minority Scholarship Fund in 1998 as a four-year program. Through this program, DDB Needham and its employees provide financial assistance to aspiring minority art directors and copywriters. Lastly, the Ornelas Advertising Scholarship Fund awards scholarships which may be used for undergraduate studies at any accredited college or university in the United States. AAAA awards these scholarships on the basis of demonstrated academic ability and community involvement. These scholarships are one-time awards and are awarded through the recommendation of the Ornelas Advertising Scholarship Committee with approval of the AAAA Foundation, Inc.

Operation Jumpstart II has awarded scholarships to four University of Texas graduate advertising students in the past two academic years. Congratulations to the 2001-2002 winners Kimberly Moses and Nancy Najera and to our 2002-2003 winners Adrian Castillo and Nick Munoz! For more information about AAAA's scholarships in the Department of Advertising contact Gary Wilcox, the graduate adviser.

10/24/2002