Michael Stout BA’18, MPA’23 believes his experience as a Texas Instruments Founders Leadership Fellow was the perfect cap to his years of study at The University of Texas at Dallas.
The yearlong fellowship, made possible by a gift from the Texas Instruments Foundation in 2018, is awarded annually to one promising UT Dallas undergraduate senior, graduate student or recent graduate who plans to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. Selected fellows work in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
“I knew that this prestigious fellowship would give me the tools to be a better University staff member, which is my career goal,” said Stout, who graduated in May from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS).
“This fellowship has been the practical application of my education. You learn so much stuff in the classroom within EPPS’ Master of Public Affairs program — budgeting, finance, human resource management, the theory of bureaucracies — but the fellowship has been the hands-on application of what I’ve learned.”
Stout, originally from Havre de Grace, Maryland, joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17 and served three tours overseas: one in 2011 aboard the USS Green Bay in the Indian Ocean and two in Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013 as a member of a close air support liaison team.
“Through the TI fellowship, I have learned that treasure is not the only form of philanthropy. I used to just think that donations were what was most important, but the testimony, the ties, the relationships, the talent, those are just as important.”
Michael Stout BA’18, MPA’23
After his discharge from the Marines, Stout studied at Santa Barbara City College in California, where he also worked with the Santa Barbara veterans’ services office and received a Red Cross Hero Award for his service to area veterans.
In 2016 Stout moved to Texas and enrolled at UTD, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and met his wife, Akanksha Nayyar MS’17, a Naveen Jindal School of Management alumna. After graduating, he worked for nearly three years as an administrative assistant on the dean’s staff in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science before deciding to pursue his master’s degree full time.
At UTD he also participated in a Center for BrainHealth research study for those with post-traumatic stress disorder, which he experienced after his service in Afghanistan.
His participation in the study taught Stout how the University’s schools and programs make a difference in the North Texas community. Raising money for such programs is an important part of the work done by the development and alumni relations team, he said.
“Really what the staff at the Center for BrainHealth gave me through the PTSD study has been so helpful to me,” he said. “The time that they gave me, the talent that they gave me — I am still rewarded by that today.”
To Apply
Applications for the 2023-24 TI Founders Leadership Fellowship at UT Dallas are open through Friday, June 9. Those interested can apply directly, and students can view the job posting and description on Handshake. Email julie.piccirillo@utdallas.edu for more information.
Stout said philanthropy is about so much more than giving money.
“Through the TI fellowship, I have learned that treasure is not the only form of philanthropy,” Stout said. “I used to just think that donations were what was most important, but the testimony, the ties, the relationships, the talent, those are just as important.”
Stout, who hopes to land a staff job with UTD, said that the fellowship has also given him valuable skills applicable to many careers outside of the University.
“I view philanthropy as something that’s applicable to any profession, any job, particularly in higher education, but also in many other career fields,” he said.