Education Made Accessible

The C. T. Bauer College of Business benefactor famously believed that “to help people get an education is the finest thing you can do.”

Now, more than two decades since Charles T. “Ted” Bauer made his transformative gift, his legacy lives on as students have access to financial resources to receive a high-value degree. This month, recipients of the Ted Bauer Undergraduate Business Scholarship (TBUBS), one of the college’s largest scholarships, celebrated finishing their education at a cording ceremony with their loved ones by their side.

Seated with her younger sister, accounting senior Cynthia Bautista described getting TBUBS as a weight lifted off her shoulders.

By alleviating additional financial worry, the transfer student said the scholarship allowed her to integrate into university life and focus on her studies.

“I came in at 24 years old, and I'm graduating now at 26,” Bautista said. “I was worried about fitting in and keeping up. I was a full-time mom, employee and student. TBUBS helped me to take a break from that employment to focus on education and get involved at Bauer.”

During her time as a TBUBS scholar, Bautista said her favorite memory was brainstorming a project to support the University of Houston Centennial. With the program behind her and graduation just weeks away, she described the ceremony as bittersweet.

“Yesterday I was walking on the grounds of campus and had a moment of awe,” Bautista said. “I came in not knowing anything, and now I have this big community behind me. I have great professors who believed in me, even when I didn’t.”

She added: “It’s sad to go, but nice knowing that the support you have doesn't just end when you graduate.”

As a newer TBUBS scholar, finance junior Megan Nguyen said she was pleasantly surprised when she received the scholarship.

With big dreams of attending law school, Nguyen is an involved student leader on campus and enjoys the group environment that comes with TBUBS.

“It's really cool how TBUBS is able to connect you with alumni,” Nguyen said. “There’s that extra layer of knowing they were in your shoes once. It makes it easier to talk to and build a genuine connection.”

Bauer Dean Xianjun Geng thanked the C. T. Bauer Foundation for their generosity toward TBUBS. He said that the college is able to benefit the broader community while maintaining high-quality thanks to the foundation’s support.

Bauer Foundation Trustee Bob Casey, who previously served as Associate Dean for External Relations at the college, joined the student recipients at the Spring 2026 cording ceremony.

“It’s about giving students an environment and support structure that enables them to hit their maximum achievement levels,” Casey said. “We want them to go into the business world, have great personal and professional lives and be great citizens.”