Sul Ross State University is establishing a permanent, endowed fellowship for graduate student groundwater research at the Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water with $500,000 in support from Google.org.
The Endowed Fellowship in Groundwater Research will provide an annual stipend for a graduate student working alongside Meadows Research Institute faculty. The first fellow is expected to be selected in 2027 and will focus on projects important to Far West Texas.
The funding comes less than a year after the January 2026 launch of the Meadows Research Institute, adding to the growing research and educational capacity focused on water in the Trans-Pecos.
“Groundwater is the lifeblood of Far West Texas, and there is still so much we need to understand about these complex systems,” said Dr. Carlos Hernandez, president of Sul Ross State University. “This investment gives our graduate students the opportunity to help answer important questions while preparing for careers in a field where their expertise is urgently needed. It is exactly the kind of research and educational opportunity the Meadows Research Institute was created to provide.”
There’s a lot we still don’t know about groundwater in Far West Texas. Where does it come from? How does it move? How are aquifers connected to the springs and surface waters we see above ground? Those are some of the questions Meadows Research Institute researchers are working to answer.
The new fellowship puts a graduate student in the middle of that work. Working with Sul Ross faculty, the fellow will contribute to groundwater research while building skills that can lead to a career in water science and management.
“This support is an investment that will keep giving for generations,” said Rick Stephens, chair of the Sul Ross State University Foundation. “By establishing an endowment, Google is creating a permanent source of support for graduate students and groundwater research at Sul Ross.”
The Sul Ross State University Foundation will invest the $500,000, with annual distributions supporting the fellowship. The first distribution is anticipated in 2027, when the Meadows Research Institute plans to select its inaugural Endowed Fellow in Groundwater Research.
The support from Google.org builds on the philanthropic support that helped launch the Meadows Research Institute. In January, The Meadows Foundation announced a $2.75 million commitment, including $2.5 million to establish an endowment and $250,000 in matching operational support over five years. Endowed support for the Meadows Research Institute now totals $3 million.
The Meadows Research Institute grew out of decades of water research at Sul Ross and was incubated by the Borderlands Research Institute as the vision for a dedicated West Texas water institute took shape. Today, the Meadows Research Institute brings together research, education and technical assistance to address water challenges in Far West Texas and help prepare the people who will tackle those challenges in the decades ahead.
Photo: Pecos River, West Texas. Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water photo.