Rural Entrepreneurship Graduate Teaching Assistantship Established at Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION - Shirley and Joe Swinbank have established an assistantship in their name to support graduate students in the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University.The Shirley and Joe Swinbank '74 Rural Entrepreneurship Graduate Teaching Assistantship, created through the Texas A&M Foundation, will be used to offset expenses for a graduate student assisting with rural entrepreneurship classes and maintaining the rural entrepreneurship Web site.
The Swinbanks established this fund because they support the rural entrepreneurship program and the real-world experience that associate department head and professor, Dr. Ed Rister, instills through capstone projects and business plans for entrepreneurial "start up" businesses, according to the Swinbanks.
Joe Swinbank, a native of Houston, graduated from Westchester High School in 1970 and from Texas A&M in 1974 with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics.
The Swinbanks are members of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston. Joe Swinbank is a partner of The Sprint Companies, and is also a director of Vista Bank of Texas and a member of the Lakeside Country Club. He and his business partner, Don Poarch, have started more than 30 businesses since 1974 as private equity investors. Shirley Swinbank is the founder and executive director of Yorkshire Academy in Houston.
In establishing the assistantship, they hope "Aggies receive inspiration to dream, create, research and implement their own ideas and hopefully start their own businesses."
For more information about this endowment, contact Jody Ford, Texas A&M Foundation, 979-847-9314, j-ford@tamu.eduj-ford@tamu.edu.
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