Ellen and Mark Morrison Scholarship
Ellen and Mark Morrison Endow New Scholarship in Support of Academic Excellence
Mark and Ellen Morrison
Longtime Headliners Foundation supporters Ellen and Mark Morrison have made a generous endowment gift to the Foundation to establish the Ellen and Mark Morrison Scholarship. The Foundation will use the donation to annually fund a scholarship to an outstanding undergraduate student preparing for a career in journalism.
The first $6,000 Morrison scholarship will be announced in spring 2022 along with about 20 other Foundation scholarships.
The Morrisons have been supporters of the Foundation since they moved to Austin in 2005. After witnessing close-up the role the Foundation plays in supporting Texas journalism, they wanted to provide resources to expand its initiatives. Each year, the Foundation provides $130,000 in scholarships, professional awards, events and grants, all promoting excellence in Texas journalism.
“Ellen’s and my strong commitment to journalism and journalism education dates to 1965 in Houston when we edited our high school paper together,” said Mark Morrison, a member and former chair of the Foundation’s Board of Governors. “After graduating from UT Austin, both of us spent our careers in communications.” Added Ellen Morrison: “We got tremendous satisfaction from our work as writers and editors—and especially from training and encouraging younger colleagues. We hope the Morrison Scholarship will open to students the kind of opportunities we had.”
Ellen Morrison earned a B.A. in zoology from UT Austin and an M.S. in medical ecology from the UT Health Sciences Center at Houston. She worked as a medical writer and enjoyed a lengthy career in strategic planning and communications in healthcare. She later served as a business and science writing instructor at Rutgers University and a communications lecturer at UT McCombs School of Business. While teaching at UT, she served on the University Writing Committee, was Faculty Advisor to the Students in Free Enterprise chapter and served on the Board of Directors of Tejas Family Guidance Center In Austin.
In 2016, Ellen received the Austin Area Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Association’s Outstanding Alumna Award for her leadership, including guiding the organization through the renovation of the historic Beta Xi House on University Ave. In 2019, Ellen authored a children’s book titled Gomer the Gecko Moves In.
Mark Morrison earned a B.J. from UT Austin, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Texan (’69-’70). Mark quickly developed a reputation as a hell-raising editor who led the paper during the turbulent times of Vietnam War protests, confrontations with the administration, and high-profile battles with the emperor-like Board of Regents Chair Frank C. Erwin Jr.
His first job after graduation was as a reporter for The Houston Post covering general news. In 1974, he was hired as a correspondent for Business Week, the largest global circulation financial and business magazine. His 32-year career at Business Week included serving as bureau chief in Cleveland and Chicago and senior editor in New York City, and culminated in a 12-year stint as Managing Editor, helping to oversee a staff of 200 journalists. Mark was a regular guest commentator on CNN and a longtime judge for the national Gerald Loeb Awards.
After retiring, Mark taught journalism at UT Austin for five years. He served as Chair of the Headliners Foundation from 2013-2019 and guided the organization through a period of significant financial growth, new initiatives and expanded programming. He led the creation of the Verne Lundquist Sports Media Institute, which provides programming and scholarships for high school and college students. Mark currently serves as Governor Emeritus of the Foundation and Chair of the Lundquist Sports Media Institute.
“It’s impossible to quantify the significant impact Ellen and Mark have had on the Foundation,” said Patti C. Smith, Chair of the Foundation’s Academic Excellence Committee. “Their commitment to our mission has touched every part of the Foundation’s programming, and this most generous gift ensures that future generations of journalists will have a head start,” said Smith. “We can never thank them enough.”
Patti Ohlendorf, who succeeded Mark as Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Governors in 2019, believes the fully endowed Morrison Scholarship “embodies the couple’s deep understanding of our mission. Ellen and Mark are extremely passionate about the Foundation, and we owe a great deal of our growth and success to Mark’s extraordinary leadership,” said Ohlendorf. “Working side-by-side with the couple over the years has been an honor,” she continued. “Their generosity is an inspiration, and we are truly grateful for this remarkable gift.”