Two longtime donors to Oklahoma State University will fund a new scholarship program designed to benefit rural students from northwestern Oklahoma, west Texas and eastern New Mexico, the OSU Foundation said Wednesday.
The Thoma Scholars Program will be paid for through a donation from the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation. Carl, who grew up in Boise City in the Oklahoma Panhandle, and Marilynn, who grew up in Woodward, both are OSU graduates and enjoyed successful careers in brand management and private equity. They both received their respective bachelor's degrees from OSU in 1971 and now live in Dallas.
Applications will open in fall 2024 for high school seniors within eligible rural counties who will graduate in spring 2025. About 20 students will be selected for the first class of students in the program, and once it’s fully matriculated, the Thomas’ commitment of up to $2 million a year will make it one of OSU’s most impactful scholarship programs, said Blaire Atkinson, the president of the OSU Foundation.
“It's fitting that one of OSU’s most significant awards is coming from self-made, hard-working entrepreneurs who got their start at OSU, the best land-grant university in the country,” Atkinson said. “It’s a testament to their high character and love for the university that they’re paying it forward."
“They really want to support a student all the way through graduation. This is really just the beginning. They’re really just committed to finding high-potential kids like they were in rural America who need an opportunity," Atkinson added.
How the new OSU scholarship will help rural students
The scholarships for the program will cover the cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, housing and meals, books and other educational expenses and allow each recipient to study abroad, foundation officials said. Each scholarship recipient also will be admitted into The Honors College at OSU, which offers personalized mentorship and other benefits.
Students at high schools in 10 Oklahoma counties – Beaver, Cimarron, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Major, Roger Mills, Texas, Woods and Woodward – will be eligible to apply for the scholarships. Also eligible will be students from 26 counties in the Texas Panhandle and five in New Mexico.
“On behalf of the OSU family, we thank Carl and Marilynn Thoma for their generous gift,” OSU President Kayse Shrum said. “The Thoma Scholars Program will afford more rural students access to an OSU education, allowing them to achieve their academic goals and chase their dreams. In alignment with our land-grant mission, these students will be poised to serve as the next generation of servant-leaders equipped to address society’s most important challenges.”
The Thomas previously have donated toward numerous OSU projects, including the Learning and Student Success Opportunity Center, the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Distinguished Chair in Hospitality and Tourism Management, the Carl Thoma Distinguished Clinical Professorships in Entrepreneurship and a new named position focused on the arts. They also serve as key donors to OSU’s McKnight Center for the Performing Arts as well as visionaries and founders of the Wine Forum of Oklahoma.
In 2010, they both were inducted into the OSU Alumni Association Hall of Fame, the university’s highest honor.
"Empowering students from rural areas to excel in higher education is not just a mission — it's our passion,” the Thomas said in a statement. “The Thoma Scholars Program honors the resilience and determination of those from rural communities by investing in their future and preparing them for success.”
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