Welch Scholars - Funded by the Finis Welch Foundation
Dr. Finis Welch began funding scholarships at Texas A&M University in the fall of 2011. A resident of Bryan and Centerville, Texas, Dr. Welch was a world-renowned economist, a highly successful entrepreneur and an accomplished rancher. Dr. Welch was the founder and President of Welch Consulting, Ltd, a preeminent labor economics consulting firm. In addition, he was cofounder of StataCorp LLC, the firm that develops Stata, the statistical software for data scientists that is used worldwide. Dr. Welch was also the owner and operator of a 10,000-acre ranch in Centerville, Texas. He earned a PhD in economics from The University of Chicago in 1966 and subsequently had a distinguished career as a Professor of Economics at several leading universities, including University of Chicago, Yale, UCLA and Texas A&M University. He is widely regarded as one of the world's preeminent labor economists. His achievements in labor economics earned him the prestigious Jacob Mincer Award in 2007 and was a fellow of the American Academy of Art and Sciences.
Dr. Finis Welch was the founder and sole benefactor of the Finis Welch Foundation. The foundation was established in 2012 and reflects Finis' lifelong commitment to education by providing scholarships to high-achieving students who can demonstrate financial need. The mission of the Finis Welch Foundation is to stress the importance of education and enhance the quality of life through education. The Finis Welch Foundation seeks to recognize and support individuals enrolled in or enrolling in educational institutions. For more information about the Finis Welch Foundation, please visit the Finis Welch Foundation website.