$16.8 Million in Philanthropic Gifts Announced,Moving UT Dallas Closer to Tier One Goal

On Tuesday, the University of Texas at Dallas received 16 philanthropic gifts, totaling more than $16.8 million – seven of them in amounts of $1 million or more and all greater than $100,000.

It was the greatest number of individual seven-figure gifts received in one day by UT Dallas.

These gifts and their timing were motivated in part by the availability of matching funds through the recently enacted Texas Research Incentive Program, or TRIP. The fully matched potential of these gifts is $31.7 million, according to UT Dallas President David E. Daniel.

“We are deeply grateful to our supporters, both our private donors and the elected officials who made this possible,” he said. “This is a wonderful start to an academic year.”

The TRIP fund was created by the recently enacted Tier One law, authored by State Representative Dan Branch of Dallas. Through this measure, the Texas Legislature created a $50 million matching fund available to seven institutions dubbed “emerging research universities.” They include the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, Texas Tech, UT Arlington, UT Dallas, UT El Paso and UT San Antonio.

“All of the institutions eligible for these funds have received a great opportunity, combined with a great challenge from the State of Texas,” Daniel said. “It’s extremely gratifying to receive this vote of confidence from community leaders, corporate partners, our alumni, and our faculty.  This is a very encouraging beginning to what will be a marathon effort.”

Each emerging research institution is eligible to receive matching funds for donations specifically given for research purposes, including endowed chairs, professorships, graduate student fellowships or facilities.  The greater the gift, the higher the match. Donations of $2 million or more get a dollar-for-dollar match from the state; gifts of $1 million to $1.9 million receive a 75 percent match; gifts of $100,000 to $999,999, a 50 percent match.

UT Dallas donors at the $1 million level or higher include individuals, corporate entities and foundations, among them:

• An anonymous gift of $1 million for research support, endowed chairs, and graduate student fellowships for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering.
• Nancy B. Hamon, $1 million to support research. Mrs. Hamon cited the work of Dr. Rick Brettell as a motivating factor for her gift.  Her support will be used in the School of Arts and Humanities.
• Communities Foundation of Texas, $2 million for research in the Center for BrainHealth in the School of Behavioral and Brain Science.
• Communities Foundation of Texas, $2 million for research support through the Dee Wyly Distinguished Chair for BrainHealth.
• O’Donnell Foundation, $1 million to support outstanding faculty engaged in research for the Arts and Technology Program of the School of Arts and Humanities.
• Texas Instruments Incorporated, whose founders created the University as a research center in the 1960s. The company gave $1.145 million for research in semi-conductor technology.
• An anonymous gift of $7.29 million to support research, faculty chairs and graduate student fellowships.

“TI’s gift fits with our strategy to support the development of Tier One research universities in North Texas.  The Texas Research Incentive Program prompted us to support UT Dallas with a major gift that will advance knowledge in several areas critical to our company,” said Allen Bowling, manager of research for TI’s Analog Technology Development group. “Having strong research universities in close proximity to TI will bring economic advantages to our company as well as the region and state. University research leads to start-up companies and venture capital activity, and new companies that are created hire university students and do business with established companies. For TI, this is an investment in growth.”

Contributors of other gifts included in the total are:

• Charles and Nancy Davidson, UT Dallas alumni from Houston, $250,000 to support the Davidson Professorships in the School of Management.  “When we learned of the opportunity, there really wasn’t any question,” said Charles (Chuck) Davidson.  “We’ve been supporting UTD all along. It’s our school.”
• UT Dallas Behavioral and Brain Sciences Professor Aage Moller and his wife, Margareta, $100,000 for research support and a professorship in Behavioral and Brain Sciences. This is his second such gift to support a professorship and part of a long record of giving to the University. “We hope it will encourage others to do the same,” said Professor Moller.
• The Ackerman Foundation, $200,000 to support research on the Holocaust in the UT Dallas Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies.
• Communities Foundation of Texas, two gifts, $116,500 for a professorship in the School of Management and $100,000 for graduate fellowships in the Jonsson School.
• The Dallas Foundation, $100,000, to support research in the School of Economic, Policy and Political Sciences.
• The Philip Jonsson Foundation, $100,000 in support of the Jonsson Family Graduate Fellowship in Bioengineering in the Jonsson School.
• Lockheed Martin, $120,000, for research support in the Jonsson School.
• Southwestern Medical Foundation, $257,500 in research support to the Callier Center for Communication Disorders in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

“These investments provide a long term benefit, not only to the University but also to our community,” Daniel said. “They quicken the pace at which we can innovate and work to create the great academic research university Dallas urgently needs.”

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