MORE THAN AN ENDOWMENT
BY SHANNON ROBINSON
When COVID-19 struck the United States in March 2020, our nation was upended. Schools and businesses closed; we were confined to our homes with the fear of what the “new normal” would look like lodged in the back of our minds. While our social and economic landscapes were drastically changing, the Veteran students of UNT were now faced with the real possibility of eviction with nowhere to go.
That’s when the University of North Texas Veterans Services stepped up to keep their veteran students at some level of normalcy amidst the chaos, donating $30,000 to keep Veterans in school or in their homes.
The donation came from a variety of sources. The Emergency College fund is a public fund open to donations from anyone; even as little as $5 can help. The CARES Act contributed a large amount to the generous donation for Veterans as well. One of the sources of this $30,000 donation is from an endowment given to the Veterans Services and ROTC at UNT by Bette and Robert Sherman.
Bette Sherman is the daughter of Maj. Gen. Olinto Barsanti, who—despite being a highly decorated One Star General, the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, and charged with the largest and longest military airlift ever attempted in a combat zone—could not afford to send his daughter to school. Because of her upbringing, Bette is a huge supporter of the ROTC students and veterans of the Univeristy of North Texas.
Robert Sherman’s father was a professor at UNT and the Faculty Advisor for Veteran’s Village, a neighborhood constructed for veterans returning from World War II. His home in the Village tragically burned down, but the Village went on to house hundreds of veterans who contributed to Denton’s growth and UNT’s student body.
James Davenport, director of UNT’s Student Veteran’s Services and retired Army veteran, remarked on the generosity and kindness of the Shermans. With the unpredictability of the past year, the endowment, as part of the larger $30,000, has helped a number of veterans and their dependents with tuition and rent. With approximately 2,900 students at UNT on Veteran’s benefits, the money goes a long way in serving those who have already given so much in their service to our Country.
Visit UNT’s website here for more information on Veteran Services and Online Degree Programs