Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center Marks 5th Anniversary

“This center, by design, is meant to welcome alumni home and to connect them with our bright, dynamic students — our future alumni,” said Dr. Richard C. Benson, president of UT Dallas, at the 2017 dedication of the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. In the five years since the opening of the DGAC, thousands of alumni, students, employees and friends of the University have attended events at the center, making it a home away from home for the campus community. 

With the DGAC’s celebration of its five-year anniversary Sept. 7, the center has lived up to Benson’s prediction that it would become a welcoming space for the University as well as for the community beyond campus. The facility, with more than 10,000-square-feet of indoor event space, hosts large formal events, like the annual UT Dallas Awards Gala, and smaller gatherings like conferences, corporate functions, business meetings, alumni family events, weddings and family reunions. 

“From the first day we opened and continuing today, our goal has been to make every banquet, seminar, celebration or even a simple meeting the best experience possible,” said John Kyle, director of events and operations at the DGAC. “The result of that has turned us into a go-to place for these groups.” 

Wendi Kavanaugh MA’04, MFA’10, assistant director of the National Merit Scholars Program at UT Dallas, organizes several annual events at the DGAC. Kavanaugh said she holds events at the center because students enjoy it. 

“They love to dress up and take photos in the Texas Instruments Inspiration Hall, and I always end up taking photos of students in front of the UTD logo,” she said. 

Area businesses are regular DGAC clients because of the center’s professional staff and the attraction of holding meetings on the University campus. Andy Bowles is founder and owner of Solutions 2 Retirement LLC in Dallas. Since the center’s opening, Bowles has held multiple retirement planning workshops each year at the DGAC. 

“We get the best attendance because the workshop is held at a university and the DGAC team has always been accommodating for our setup and ensuring attendees locate us,” Bowles said. “It allows me to relax and focus on the most important thing, which is the people attending.”