The ExxonMobil Foundation donated nearly $1.5 million to The University of Texas at Austin to help boost engineering, business and geosciences programs and support the foundation’s mission to encourage women and minorities to pursue careers as scientists and engineers. The $1.465 million contribution is the largest ever made to UT Austin as part of the ExxonMobil Foundation’s Educational Matching Gift Program, and about half was allocated to the Cockrell School of Engineering.
ExxonMobil’s $696,000 donation to Texas Engineering will enhance the student experience, support the Cockrell School’s renowned programs and departments and help develop the 430,000-square-foot Engineering Education and Research Center, opening in fall 2017.
The foundation contributes $3 for every dollar donated to UT Austin by ExxonMobil employees, retirees, surviving spouses and directors. This year, 150 individuals made gifts in support of the Cockrell School, amounting to more than $450,000.
“ExxonMobil employees care about education and make it an investment priority year after year,” said Suzanne McCarron, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “We are proud that we have such a long and solid record in supporting The University of Texas. Commitment to excellent education and ensuring the next generation is prepared to excel in the future is important to both ExxonMobil and The University of Texas.”
The gift brings the ExxonMobil Corporation and the ExxonMobil Foundation’s total giving to UT Austin to more than $60 million since 1975.
“Year after year, ExxonMobil employees and the foundation set new records in their generosity for UT,” said university President Bill Powers. “Their support continues to help the campus and our students as we aspire to become the best public research university in the nation.”
In addition to matching gifts, ExxonMobil has demonstrated its commitment to improving U.S. math and science education by contributing to the Cockrell School’s Women in Engineering Program and the Equal Opportunity in Engineering Program, as well the UTeach teacher preparation program.
The ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The foundation and the corporation engage in a range of philanthropic activities that advance math and science education, promote women as catalysts for economic development and combat malaria. In 2014, the company, its employees and the ExxonMobil Foundation provided $279 million in contributions worldwide, of which $95 million was dedicated to education.
