Dear Colleagues:



For many years, Texas State University enjoyed a relationship of mutual benefit, trust, and respect with The Mitte Foundation of Austin. After the recent arrest of Mr. Scott Mitte, the then-President of The Mitte Foundation, on a charge of cocaine possession, I had to reconsider whether that relationship remained in our University’s best interest, given the exemplary conduct we expect of our faculty, staff, and students. In spite of efforts by the University to come to an agreeable position with The Mitte Foundation, I have concluded that the time has come for me to recommend to The Texas State University System Board of Regents that the University sever its ties with this Foundation.



Accordingly, the University is taking the following steps, seeking Board of Regents’ approval as necessary:

• I have resigned my position as a member of the advisory Board of Directors of The Mitte Foundation as of April 1, 2008.

• We will return the gifts from The Mitte Foundation that endowed the Mitte Honors Program and remove the Mitte name from that program.

• We are immediately ceasing the acceptance of all future funds from The Mitte Foundation.



Using other University funds, we will honor all financial commitments to students currently on Mitte scholarships and all faculty currently holding Mitte chairs under a different designation. Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte, founders of The Mitte Foundation, remain honored Distinguished Alumni of the University.



We are saddened by our decision to discontinue a relationship that was so valued both by two of our most outstanding alumni and by our entire University community; but, we have concluded that we cannot continue Texas State’s relationship with this Foundation.



Sincerely,





Denise M. Trauth

President

Roy F. Mitte was raised in a family of modest means in Brownsville, Texas. After graduating from Brownsville High School in 1949, Roy went to Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos, Texas (now Texas State University-San Marcos.) Mitte excelled in sports and won a partial scholarship.

Roy studied, played basketball, and worked several different jobs to support himself, including sacking groceries and washing dishes in the dorm.

While at Southwest Texas, Mitte met Joann Cole, an elementary education major from Bertram. Smitten with Joann, Roy offered to pay others to take over his dish duties so he could spend more time with her.

The two were married during their senior year and graduated in 1953 with degrees and teaching credentials.

After graduation, Roy joined the Army and served in Korea. When he returned to Texas, Roy taught school and coached basketball at Lampasas High School. He is one of the winningest coaches in Lampasas High School history.

Making ends meet financially on a modest coach's salary wasn't easy, so Roy decided to explore more lucrative opportunities. In 1959, Roy left coaching and began selling insurance for Aetna Life and Casualty Co. He and his family then moved to Norfolk, Va., where he joined Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. Over the next decade he built his business into one of the most successful agencies in Lincoln's history.

In 1972, Roy's unprecedented success led him to form his own insurance operation, FIC, which he developed into a successful corporation over the next thirty years.

The Mittes believe in hard work, persistence, extraordinary performance levels, exemplary dedication and loyalty. These are the qualities possessed by Roy F. Mitte, which contributed to his outstanding success, and these are the qualities the Mitte Foundation looks to reward.

Foundation's Financial Troubles Lead To Dropping Scholarships

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports (subscription or Web pass required) that the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation has informed several universities that it can no longer support scholarships it had committed to, apparently because of financial difficulties at the Foundation. Officials at three universities, Indiana University, Ohio State, and Penn State, confirmed that they were told last month that the promised scholarship money for undergraduate business programs would not be forthcoming from the Foundation. Each of these schools indicated that they were stepping up to provide the scholarship funds from other sources so as not to leave students without expected funds.

The letter informing the universities of this development cited both the effect on the Foundation of the recent downtown in financial markets and a desire to focus its available funds on a single school, Texas State University, which was the alma mater of the Foundation's founders. Both of those founders passed away last year. The Foundation was also the subject of reports in 2003 of lavish expenditures by Scott Mitte, the son of the founders and the Foundation's current President, reports that the Foundation denied.

The Mittes believe in hard work, persistence, extraordinary performance levels, exemplary dedication and loyalty. These are the qualities possessed by Roy F. Mitte, which contributed to his outstanding success, and these are the qualities the Mitte Foundation looks to reward.

like dirtbag, i suspect there's something else behind the decision as well. it's certainly a severe step to take.