Nicholas (Nick) Belbas, a junior Cyber Engineering major at Houston Baptist University, was honored with the 2020 Stewart Morris Scholar Award by the Texas Business Hall of Fame (TBHF). This $15,000 award is designed to support promising business leaders with a proclivity for community involvement. In particular, the scholarship Belbas received is in honor of HBU Founding Father Stewart Morris, who was inducted into TBHF in 1995.
The Texas Business Hall of Fame was created in 1982 with the goal of highlighting the achievements and community contributions of outstanding business leaders. The Foundation’s mission is to “perpetuate entrepreneurial spirit, personal integrity, and community leadership in all generations of Texans” by providing a supportive environment for current and future business leaders. This led to the development of the TBHF Scholar Award Program.
Applicants undergo a rigorous submission process, including a dean recommendation and an interview with TBHF Directors; the awarded recipients receive a scholarship paid directly to them. Thereby, they are able to use the funds to assist with tuition as well as any other needs. Belbas stated that “most of this scholarship will be put towards academic expenses like tuition, but I plan on using a small part of it to continue developing the smart lock project my freshman year classmate and I created together.” Scholarship recipients also get to participate in the Annual Induction Dinner where they can meet new and continuing TBHF members.
“Nick is a very impressive student,” said W. Carl Glaw, a member of the Scholarship Committee of TBHF and a member of the HBU Science and Engineering Advisory Board. “We are thrilled with the new HBU College of Science and Engineering under the adroit tutelage of Dr. Stan Napper. We believe Nick has the capabilities to be a future Texas Business Hall of Fame Legend. See Legends at TexasBusiness.org.” Twenty-five universities participated in the TBHF Scholar Award Program this year, and Belbas was selected as the representative HBU student to receive a scholarship. Dean Stan Napper of the College of Science and Engineering is “proud of Nick’s ambition and hopes to see many more students demonstrate creativity and leadership through the engineering and entrepreneurship programs at HBU.”