By Dorian Martin '06
Garrett Watts ’21 and Brock Jones ’21 credit Texas A&M University’s Corps of Cadets with strengthening their understanding of leadership and giving them the opportunity to learn how to guide others. Both are in the early stages of applying those lessons as they move into their careers.
The Corps, which has a long and storied tradition of developing leaders for both the military and the civilian world, is committed to creating a new generation of leaders who are equipped to navigate the world’s turbulence. “The Corps tends to view ethical leadership as the hope and antidote for some of the symptoms that we’re seeing in the world around us,” said Dr. David Keller, director of the Corps’ Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership. “When students come to us, they are raw talent, but that raw talent is mostly undeveloped. Through experiences in the Corps and in the classroom, we are equipping them to be ethical leaders who can step into the fray right after they finish their time in school so they can make an immediate impact in the world around them.”
Many cadets choose to deepen their leadership skills through specific Corps experiences. One of note is the Hollingsworth Center, which offers classes, conferences, a leadership certificate program, and a career readiness program for Drill and Ceremony (D&C) cadets who do not plan to pursue a military commission. Cadets also may participate in the Corps Global Leadership Initiative, which organizes international excursions that focus on the elements of national power—diplomacy, information, military, economic. These educational trips allow cadets to meet with members of the U.S. diplomatic corps, U.S. corporations doing business in the country, and networking with students from local universities.
Margin of Excellence
These opportunities happen with strong support from private donors. “The ROTC students largely get their funding from the Department of Defense, but the Corps itself is largely dependent on donors to be able to do everything that we do,” Keller said. “It’s certainly the donors who create the margin of excellence that allows us to be a unique and uncommon developmental experience for students at Texas A&M.”
Based on his own experience as a cadet, Donald Zale ’55 (pictured right) and his wife Barbara have named the Corps’ leadership development initiatives as one of three beneficiaries of their planned gift. The couple will also support Mays Business School’s Center for Retailing Studies and the College of Liberal Arts’ efforts to support a Jewish-Israeli studies program. “I’ve always felt that Texas A&M University is as careful in managing their money and utilizing their resources as any institution I’ve seen,” said the former CEO and chair of Zale Corporation. “The work they do is extraordinary. The students I meet on campus and after they graduate are extraordinarily well-trained.”
The Zales opted to use charitable remainder unitrusts to support these three Texas A&M entities. “The charitable remainder unitrust concept was discussed by my attorney and my investment advisor. It just made good sense,” Zale said. “It is a pretty standard way of taking a portion of your estate and dedicating it for a nonprofit activity.”
A charitable remainder unitrust is a giving vehicle that distributes a portion of the income or principal to the donor over a lifetime. The remaining donated assets go to the Texas A&M Foundation. As an added benefit, this type of gift offers an immediate charitable income tax deduction. Donors also avoid up-front capital gains taxes.
