Founded in 1981 with its first Brown Scholar through the PES Program, the Brown Foundation was formalized in 1992. Through its passionate support of Brown Scholars, the Brown Foundation cultivates leaders of the highest integrity who will positively impact their communities and humanity at large.
In addition to awarding undergraduate and EnMed graduate scholarships, the Brown Foundation supports the MSC Brown-Smith UK Honors Leadership trip, Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineering Award, the Brown Engineering Honors Program, the Craig Brown and Sue Smith and Frank and Jean Raymond EnMed Capstone Innovator Award Program at Houston Methodist, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, the EnMed Program, EMERGE Fellowship, Bo’s Place, Brighter Bites, and other organizations and non-profits at A&M and in Houston.
Since 1992, the Brown Foundation has awarded scholarships to 592 Brown Scholars; 382 Brown Scholars have graduated; and there are currently 210 Brown Scholars enrolled at A&M. Since 2019, the Brown Foundation has awarded 42 EnMed scholarships to a subset of Brown Scholars; 1 EnMed Brown Scholar has graduated from the EnMed Program; 3 E2EnMed Brown Scholars are enrolled in the EnMed Program and 38 E2EnMed EAP Brown Scholars attending A&M will matriculate to EnMed.
The average Brown Scholar GPA is 3.87. The average Brown Scholar E2EnMed EAP GPA is 3.98 and the average MCAT score for E2EnMed EAP Brown Scholars is 520, 97%.
”…WE WANT STUDENTS WHO ARE WELL-ROUNDED, WHO ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT TEXAS A&M IS ALL ABOUT.”
“THE BROWN FOUNDATION STRIVES TO DEVELOP LEADERS WHO WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT AND SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES AND HUMANITY AT LARGE.”
In 1985, Galen T. Brown sought to create a foundation to aid undergraduate students in Texas. He looked no further than his son Craig’s alma mater, Texas A&M University. Craig graduated from Texas A&M in 1975 with a degree in Civil Engineering and he received his MBA in Accounting and Finance from Texas A&M in 1977. Galen Brown, already a sponsor of Texas A&M’s prestigious President’s Endowed Scholarship, established the Galen T. Brown Foundation with the goal of supporting students in higher education.
Galen was born in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1927. After graduating from Central State University in Oklahoma, he and his wife Mary (Dee Dee) moved to Tornillo, Texas. After Galen’s successful career as the principal, athletics coach, and math teacher, he and Dee Dee moved to Houston where Galen served as the Vice-President, President and Owner of Keystone International, a Fortune 500 company. Galen’s success was particularly impressive because he was diagnosed with a heart defect as a child and was not expected to live to adulthood. Galen died in 1989 before the Galen t. Brown Foundation awarded undergraduate scholarships; his vision is carried on by Craig, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Bray International, Inc., a successful valve and actuator company with divisions and sales around the world. Craig serves as the President of the Brown Foundation, now known as the Craig and Galen Brown Foundation and his wife, Sue Smith, serves as its Executive Vice President. In addition to the Brown Foundation, Sue serves on several boards including the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Bo’s Place, Brighter Bites. She is a past Board member of KIPP Houston Public Schools.
Craig, Sue and the Brown Foundation team interview and offer undergraduate scholarships to select high achieving, well-rounded high school students who achieve National Merit status, have demonstrated leadership and community service and attend Texas A&M. A subset of these students pursuing engineering majors with medical school aspirations are separately interviewed and offered prestigious School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed) scholarships. The Brown Foundation can proffer 20+ high school candidates for admission to EnMed using the E2EnMed Early Assurance program pathway.
The Brown Foundation selects approximately 100 students for in-person interviews for Brown Foundation scholarships. Parents are invited to the interview. Brown Foundation undergraduate scholarships are combined with other scholarships students receive including, but not limited to, Texas A&M President’s Endowed Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship, and the Corps of Cadets Scholarship.
The Brown Foundation holds an annual dinner at A&M honoring graduating senior Brown Scholars. In addition to all Brown Scholars and the parents of seniors, the dinner is attended by the Texas A&M Chancellor, the Texas A&M President, members of the Board of Regents, faculty deans from the College of Engineering, EnMed, Mays Business School, College of Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, administrative faculty and honored guests.
The Brown Foundation has awarded undergraduate scholarships since 1992 and EnMed graduate scholarships since 2019. To date, the Brown Foundation has awarded more than $24 million in undergraduate and EnMed scholarships, and has additional scholarships and unique opportunities available to Brown Scholars including, but not limited to, the Brown-Smith UK Honors Leadership Trip, the Houston Methodist Summer Undergraduate Research Internship, medical research and physician shadowing opportunities at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, and the Craig C. Brown and Suzanne H. Smith EnMed Capstone Innovator Awards Program at Houston Methodist (for EnMed students).
The Brown Foundation awards undergraduate scholarships to high achieving, well-rounded students who achieve National Merit Semi-Finalist or Finalist status, have demonstrated leadership and community service, and attend Texas A&M University (A&M). Students are known as Brown Scholars and are recognized on the A&M campus as exceptional students and leaders. 95% of Brown Scholars major in engineering and the remainder major in other STEM disciplines.
The Houston Methodist Summer Undergraduate Research Internship (HM SURI) offers a nationally competitive 10-week summer internship program at the Houston Methodist Research Institute that provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to enrich their professional development and receive exposure to translational research. Each intern is assigned to a specific area or project within an ongoing project. Brown Foundation HM SURI interns are guaranteed 25% of the internship slots each summer and the Brown Foundation provides Brown Scholar HM SURI interns a scholarship that exceeds the amount received by paid interns. The summer culminates in a scientific poster presentation where interns showcase their summer research project to Houston Methodist’s leading scientists, students and staff.
The MSC Brown-Smith Honors UK Leadership Trip was launched in July, 2023 with 3 Brown Scholar student leaders, 3 MSC leaders and 26 incoming Brown Scholars. Students spent 20 days in York and London, England visiting famous sites including: Tower of London, Oxford, Blenheim, London Bridge, Albert and Victoria Museum, Kensington Palace, York Minster, North Yorkshire Moors, Castle Howard, Fountains Abbey, Whitby Abbey, Natural History Museum, town markets and castles. Additionally, students received leadership lessons throughout the trip with the goal of (i) facilitating academic success; (ii) enabling future leadership positions at the MSC and other A&M organizations; and (iii) learning about research opportunities. By journey’s end, close bonds and lasting friendships were formed between students, Brown Scholar and MSC leaders.
Craig Brown and Sue Smith have committed $5 million and Frank and Jean Raymond have committed $5 million to the Brown, Smith and Raymond Engineering Medicine Capstone Innovator Awards Program at Houston Methodist. EnMed Capstone Award recipients receive 2-year project funding for projects that address medical needs defined by medical investigators. Students work under the mentorship of faculty at Texas A&M and the Houston Methodist Research Institute. Each team member or individual selected for the Outstanding Capstone Project receives $5,000 and the Outstanding Faculty Mentor also receives $5,000 at the annual EnMed Capstone Innovator Awards Dinner.
Brown Foundation EnMed scholarships are offered to 20+ Brown Foundation candidates who may be admitted to EnMed using the E2EnMed Early Assurance Program pathway as high school students. A condition precedent to receiving the scholarship is the student’s enrollment at Texas A&M and his/her pursuit on an engineering major. EnMed graduates receive M.D. and M.E. degrees in four years. EnMed is a joint collaboration between A&M’s College of Engineering, College of Medicine and Houston Methodist Hospital.
The Brown Foundation has given $4 million to the Mays Business School, and the Texas A&M College of Science for Brown Foundation scholarships.
The Brown Foundation has given $1,000,000 to the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University for the Virginia C. Brown Atrium located in the Zachry Engineering Building in honor of Craig Brown’s mother.
Additional gifts to A&M from Craig Brown and Sue Smith include the Letterman’s Association, the Corps of Cadets Music Building, and the Memorial Student Center (MSC).
The Brown Foundation holds an Annual Dinner in the fall to celebrate graduating seniors. All Brown Scholars and the parents of graduating seniors attend along with the Chancellor, President of Texas A&M University, members of the Board of Regents, Deans of each college, the President & CEO of the Texas A&M Foundation, administrative staff and friends of the Craig and Galen Brown Foundation. Each senior discusses his/her time at A&M and their future plans. Approximately 350 people attend the dinner.
With the bluebonnets and wildflowers in bloom, Craig and Sue host a graduating senior lunch at the family ranch in Round Top, Texas on a Saturday each spring for a day of fun and fellowship. Senior Brown Scholars engage in friendly competitions including a canoe race and egg toss. In addition to graduating seniors, attendees may include past Brown Scholars and their families.
Incoming Brown Scholar freshmen are required to visit and tour the A&M campus as a condition of receiving a Brown Foundation scholarship in order for the student to confirm A&M is their college of choice.
The Brown Foundation coordinates these student tours with the Office of Admissions and a curated tour affords the student the opportunity to visit the college department of their intended major and speak with the Dean of the college or appropriate staff. Students may additionally visit with Brown Scholars and see other areas of particular interest.
The College of Engineering and the Mays Business School hold an annual dinner to recognize outstanding alumni and present awards. Recipients of the Craig Brown Outstanding Senior Engineering Awards are recognized at the College of Engineering dinner. Brown Scholars majoring in engineering or business are recognized as a group at both dinners.
Joe Ramirez, Sr. graduated from high school in 1950 and enrolled in the Army three days later. He fought in the Korean War, was captured at a battle in Unsan, North Korea and was a POW for 33 months enduring horrific conditions. While a POW, his weight dropped from 150 to 85 pounds. He was freed in a prisoner exchange in 1953. The Brown Foundation is honored to award the Joe E. Ramirez, Sr. Scholarship to a student in the Corps of Cadets who exemplifies General Ramirez’s commitment to God and country.
Joe Reynolds was a member of the U.S. Marines having fought at two famous battles, Iwo Jima and the Frozen Chosin. After his military service he became a distinguished trial attorney in Houston and was a name partner of his firm, Reynolds, Allen & Cook. Joe was also a member of the Texas A & M University Board of Regents for 16 years. The Brown Foundation is honored to award the Joe H. Reynolds Scholarship to an honor student at Texas A&M who has demonstrated high integrity and exemplary leadership.