Gift from The Beck Group Supports Real Estate Students at UT Dallas

The Beck Group, a leading integrated design and construction firm with longstanding ties to The University of Texas at Dallas, has made a $100,000 gift that will create an endowed scholarship for students who pursue real estate offerings in the Naveen Jindal School of Management.

With local offices in both Dallas and Fort Worth, The Beck Group provides design and construction services to clients internationally and across the United States. The company helped build several of UT Dallas’ most iconic buildings, including Engineering and Computer Science West, the Bioengineering and Sciences Building and the expansion of the Naveen Jindal School of Management.

Since 2015, The Beck Group has been the presenting sponsor for the UT Dallas Scholarship Golf Tournament organized annually by Dr. Calvin Jamison, vice president for facilities and economic development, and the Office of Facilities and Economic Development. Given the company’s ties to the University and the North Texas region, extending its support for UT Dallas students allowed The Beck Group to make a significant difference for the future of its local community.

“Over the years, Beck has forged a strong alliance with UT Dallas because of the University’s deep commitment to producing a highly educated and diverse group of students whose training has greatly benefited us, other businesses in North Texas and elsewhere across the state and the country,” said Fred Perpall, CEO of The Beck Group. “To further Beck’s mission of building better communities, we will continue to pledge our full support to help ensure that this world-class institution preserves its tradition of excellence in higher education.”

In 2018, UT Dallas created the Herbert D. Weitzman Institute for Real Estate at the Jindal School. Housing a faculty with over 175 years of combined experience in commercial real estate, the Weitzman Institute supports the Jindal School’s real estate courses/curriculums at the undergraduate, graduate and MBA levels.

As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex continues to grow and attract major corporations to the region, the demand for highly skilled real estate professionals will also increase. Recognizing the need to train new generations of professionals, The Beck Group looked to fill the talent gap by making educational opportunities available to local students.

“Beck is committed to supporting those who have decided to follow a career path in this industry, as there will always be a great need for people who have worked hard to attain the expertise and knowledge required to make this a successful business,” Perpall said. “It’s critical that we have highly trained professionals in architectural design, construction and other fields that can provide the services required to meet the demands of a vibrant commercial real estate market.”

This gift will be used to give financial support to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, providing real estate students with unparalleled academic experiences, professional mentoring and career networking services.

“The Beck Group has stepped up in a big way,” said Dr. Randall S. Guttery, director of the Weitzman Institute. “I am immensely grateful for the generosity displayed by strong corporate partnerships such as this one. It is especially critical when so many students are dealing with financial challenges caused by the pandemic. It is even more meaningful when it comes from a company that hires JSOM alumni.”

Chad Schieber MBA’01, chief marketing officer at The Beck Group, has worked with the company since 1997. During his tenure, Schieber earned an MBA at UT Dallas with the help of the company’s tuition reimbursement program. He hopes that this scholarship will allow future students to benefit from the company’s support in the same way.

“We are offering this scholarship to provide UT Dallas students the opportunity to support their professional advancement and personal growth,” Schieber said. “It is our hope that students receiving these scholarships will use what they learned to enhance their career path and to help others reach their professional and personal goals.” 

This fall, The Beck Group’s CEO Fred Perpall will headline the school’s 2020 Scholarship Breakfast on Oct. 15.