Lisa Hennen was thinking about what she wanted to do with her money after she passed when she remembered her time as a student at West Texas A&M University. Hennen combined those memories with her lifelong love of women’s athletics and decided to give a financial gift to support students in WT’s women’s athletics program.
Hennen is a graduate of WT who earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1983. Hennen was not a student-athlete, but her love of athletics led to her playing intramural sports.
“I think women’s athletics teaches important life skills,” Hennen said. “Like sometimes you have to do what the coach says, even if you don’t agree. Or how you have to be selfless. If another player has a better shot of completing a play, you need to switch out with them.”
Hennen was able to make her donation after a meeting with WT’s Major Gift Officer, Matt McComas.
“I talked with her about two and a half years ago,” McComas said. “I went and saw her in Dallas, and we had a cultivation meeting. We met for coffee, and I got to know what she wanted and what impact she wanted to make on the university with her gift.”
Hennen has already donated $25,000 into a scholarship endowment named The Lisa G. Hennen Endowment for Lady Buffs Athletics. Upon her passing, the scholarship fund will receive a planned gift of $1 Million.
“She started out by doing an endowed scholarship for Lady Buffs, and then she told me that she was also wanting to do an estate gift,” McComas said. “Upon her passing the money from her estate gift will go straight to this scholarship that’s already been established, and that was wonderful.”
Hennen’s scholarship will provide at least $1000 to any student it is rewarded to.
“That’s going to have a lasting impact for years and years and years to come,” said McComas. “I mean, she’s going to impact many, many WT Lady Buff Athletics students. It’s just awesome to see how donors want to change not only WT but lives as well.”
In addition to the women’s athletics scholarship, Hennen is already planning the next scholarship she wants to set up.
“For my next gift, I want to set up an endowment for First Peoples,” Hennen said. “There’s just so many tribes. So much history in the area. I really think it would be great to increase First People’s ability to attend WT.”
The Lisa G. Hennen endowment is available to student-athletes in the women’s athletic programs at WT who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, the College of Engineering or the College of Nursing and Health Sciences are preferred.
