Lone Star Legacy Society Sets Ambitious New Goals

For Diana Hawkins, becoming involved in the Lone Star Legacy Society seemed a natural fit, as membership allowed her to feed two of her passions – health care and community service. Hawkins’ mother is a retired microbiologist, and Hawkins herself worked in finance focused on the health care industry.

Diana Hawkins

In addition to serving on the Development Board for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Hawkins has chosen to stand a second term as president of the Lone Star Legacy Society, the premier giving society for unrestricted gifts to the UT Health Science Center.

Every year, the health science center has more requests for unbudgeted funds than can be met, and the society helps bridge these gaps. Membership revenue from the Lone Star Legacy Society may be used by the health science center president or any of the schools’ deans for such needs as: student scholarships, professional development, basic and clinical research, community service, or facility maintenance and enhancement.

“I believe very strongly in the importance of the Lone Star Legacy Society,” Hawkins said. “We have set some ambitious goals for Lone Star this year, and I felt it was important to stay on as president to help see these goals realized.”

The goals include increasing membership revenues to the level of $300,000 annually and boosting enrollment and renewal rates by 50 percent each.

Another change is aligning the membership year with the academic calendar. Annual renewals now will be due Sept. 1. Any current Lone Star member who has renewed within the last six months will be exempt this year from this new renewal date and will not be asked to renew again until the fall of 2007.

In addition, senior administrators and faculty of the UT Health Science Center will be encouraged to join or renew membership in the society.

“These goals are very doable with the support of our incredible Development Board and I am looking forward to the challenge,” Hawkins said. “This is such an incredible, hardworking board. I feel it is a real privilege to be a member.”

Lone Star Legacy Society Membership Levels
Leadership Circle....................... $10,000 and above Sam Houston President’s Cabinet......... $5,000 to $9,999 Stephen F. Austin Circle................ $2,500 to $4,999 William B. Travis Associates.........$1,000 to $2,499

Hawkins said the most rewarding aspect of her involvement in the Lone Star Legacy Society is being able to see the direct, positive impact of her membership dues on specific programs and individuals within the health science center.

In 2005, the society sponsored the Teaching and Learning Day Regional Conference, hosted by the UT School of Health Information Sciences at Houston and the Office of Academic Affairs. Hawkins was asked to present the awards for the best poster presentation and best podium presentation.

“This was a personal high point for me as president to be able to recognize these deserving individuals,” Hawkins recalled. “I have also met some students at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and their energy and excitement about their research is just contagious. It is thrilling to be able to do anything to help these bright, deserving young people.”

By Wendy K. Mohon, Public Affairs