Memorial Scholarship Honors Arletta Tompkins
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May 25, 2022
The UT PGE community has begun funding an endowed scholarship for petroleum engineering students in memory of Arletta Tompkins, the department’s longtime academic advising coordinator who passed away in November.
Tompkins worked for The University of Texas at Austin for more than 30 years. She joined UT PGE as academic advising coordinator in 2001, after serving as career services director for UT Austin’s law school for a decade. While in UT PGE, she received several awards for exceptional service to students and the university community. In 2013, she won the Friar Society’s Tany Norwood Award, which is given to one deserving staff member for stellar service and commitment to student life. In 2014, she won the President’s Outstanding Staff Award for invaluable contributions to and significant impact on the university.
More than the awards she received for outstanding service, Tompkins was a mother figure to many students. “Ms. Arletta was a wonderful academic advisor to my daughter these past three years,” says Jane Gehring, mother of Maggie Gehring (BSPE ’23). “She was an amazing lady, so helpful and encouraging, and she is sorely missed.”
Tompkins’ own son, Michael, is a graduate of the department (BSPE ’08, MSPE ’09).
The Arletta Tompkins Memorial Scholarship in Petroleum Engineering will be fully funded and awarded to its first student recipients when $50,000 has been raised. Make your gift today, or contact Associate Director for Development Erin Emery to learn more.
