A $50,000 gift from the New York-based Edouard Foundation will create new opportunities for Texas A&M University-San Antonio students to develop their talents, gain professional experience, and strengthen the University’s arts programs.
The funding will support the Visiting Writers Series, the University’s Mariachi Los Jaguares Del Sur Program, and Mosaic, the student literary magazine. Support for the programs includes $30,000 dedicated to creative writing initiatives and $20,000 earmarked for Mariachi.
The Edouard Foundation supports programs that enhance quality of life, with a focus on education, the arts, health care, human services and environmental protection.
For A&M-San Antonio students, the gift will provide meaningful experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
“This is really about investing in students and investing in the arts,” said Katherine Gillen, professor and chair of the Department of Language, Literature and Arts. “Our goal is to use the money well, do exciting things and continue building arts opportunities at A&M-San Antonio.”
Among the programs receiving support is the University’s Visiting Writers Series, coordinated by Writer-in-Residence Laurie Ann Guerrero, whose latest book, Redwork, was awarded the 2025 Autumn House Poetry Prize and is scheduled to be published in October.
The funding will allow the University to expand and elevate the series and bring more nationally recognized authors to campus, giving students opportunities to engage with professional writers and learn more about the creative process.
The gift will also enhance ”Mosaic," A&M-San Antonio’s undergraduate literary and visual arts magazine.
Produced annually through English 3303, a professional editing class, Mosaic is created primarily by English, art, and Spanish students. Drs. Brittany Ham and Christen Barron, both lecturers in the Department of Language, Literature, & Arts, launched the project in 2024 and have co-taught the class each spring.
Barron guides students through the editing process, while Ham works with students responsible for graphic design and page layout, helping them gain hands-on experience with industry tools and processes.
The publication, now in its third issue, is created by approximately 20 students who serve as editors, designers and curators. They review submissions from fellow undergraduates and publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art.
“Most of the time when students get in the class and they realize that we are making a magazine, their minds are blown,” Barron said. “The buy-in is incredible. Everybody’s all in on day one.”
The Edouard Foundation gift will make another milestone possible. Beginning with the 2027 spring edition, Mosaic, for the first time, will be published in print in addition to its digital format.
“We’re really, really excited about that,” Ham said. “It’s just incredible.”
Ham said the opportunity to create a physical publication will give students valuable real-world experience that can help prepare them for careers in publishing, communications and design.
“It’s a once-in-an-academic-career opportunity for these students to be able to work on something that is going to be published in print,” she said. “The job experience they’re getting through this project is incredible. I’m so thankful for this gift and what it means for our students.”
Barron noted that support from donors and the community makes those opportunities possible.
“Without the support, it wouldn’t happen, which I think is true for so many creative industries,” she said. “We’re pleased, honored, and grateful to have this support going into the next publication season.”
The remaining $20,000 will help strengthen A&M-San Antonio’s mariachi program, which will begin operating as an academic course this fall.
Dr. Martha Saywell, senior lecturer of music, is chairing the search committee for an adjunct faculty member who will direct the ensemble.
“Once that process is complete, we’ll be moving forward with rebuilding our mariachi, and the grant funding, of course, will support accomplishing that mission,” Saywell said.
University leaders hope to use the funding to establish scholarships for mariachi students, recognizing the significant time and commitment required of ensemble members who perform throughout the community and represent the University at events and competitions.
Gillen said the long-term vision is to build a sustainable program that supports students, comparable to collegiate sports and other extracurricular activities.
Although the current grant will be used over the next year, University leaders hope the investment’s impact will lead to additional support in the future.
“These programs give students experiences they’ll carry with them long after they graduate,” Gillen said. “That’s incredibly valuable.”