Donors Enhance Accessibility, DEI Initiatives Across University
By: Daniel Steele | July 20, 2022
Over the past year, donations from local corporations and individual donors contributed more than $1 million to increase accessibility and enhance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Promoting these causes is a pillar of the University’s strategic plan announced in 2018. Last year, UT Dallas hired Dr. Yvette Pearson as the first vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. Her office is leading efforts to create a culture of equity across campus while supporting underrepresented and minority students academically, financially and professionally.
“Our vision is for UT Dallas to be a global leader in eradicating barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Pearson said. “We’re doing the very challenging work of recruiting more diverse students, faculty and staff, while making sure we have an equitable and inclusive climate so that members of our community from all backgrounds are welcomed, treated fairly and encouraged in their pursuit of excellence.”
Pearson said that philanthropic partnerships with community members, employers and donors who share this vision will be key to UT Dallas’ success.
Several corporations based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex have created new funds for scholarships and programmatic support benefiting DEI initiatives.
Mbroh Engineering’s $50,000 gift created the first endowment for the Diversity Scholars Program while also supporting the activities of UT Dallas’ chapter of the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE). Scholarships for Diversity Scholars students provide $5,000 per year for first-time undergraduates and transfer students, providing critical financial resources that alleviate financial burdens and help talented students remain enrolled in college.
“When considering universities our company wanted to partner with, we were drawn to UT Dallas because of its innovative approach to engineering and research,” said Tony Mbroh, president and CEO of Mbroh Engineering. “We were also impressed with the richness and depth of education and academic experience. Together we are proud to elevate UTD scholars and prepare them to be the future generations of professional talent.”
Since 2010, the program has supported over 250 scholars, more than half of whom study in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields. Diversity Scholars who enrolled in fall 2021 had an average 3.42 GPA and a 100% retention rate in the spring semester.
Goldman Sachs, whose Dallas headquarters doubled in size to 4,000 employees in the last year, also made a significant investment in UT Dallas students. The company sees the University’s graduates as a key source of talent for future growth. Goldman Sach’s Excellence in Computer Science Scholarships are now the largest philanthropically funded awards offered in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and will provide six $10,000 scholarships over the next three years.
Both gifts by Mbroh Engineering and Goldman Sachs were honored with terrace namings within the Engineering and Computer Science West building on UT Dallas’ campus.
At the naming celebration for the Goldman Sachs Terrace, Stephanie Cohen, global co-head of consumer and wealth management at Goldman Sachs, told students why the company’s history inspired its support for UT Dallas’ engineering students.
“Our firm’s founders, Marcus Goldman and Samuel Sachs, were both immigrants and first-generation college students, which is a story many students at UT Dallas can relate to,” Cohen said. “This underscores the importance that education can play in shaping your future and motivating you to take big leaps to accomplish your dreams.”
In addition to their financial support, both Mbroh Engineering and Goldman Sachs committed to provide mentoring and networking opportunities, experiences which radically shape the trajectory of students’ careers and are often difficult for nontraditional or underrepresented students to access.
“We have invested our resources in a number of areas, including the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Women’s Summit, HackUTD, the Naveen Jindal School of Management’s Scholarship Breakfast and UT Dallas’ chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery,” said Dr. Ram Narayanan, managing director at Goldman Sachs and a member of the Jonsson School’s Executive Council.
Creating Career Paths
American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth, recently invested in the Jonsson School’s DEI initiatives and the UTDesign program with a $30,000 gift.
“As the global leader in commercial aviation, American Airlines has to carry the banner for DEI around the world,” said Maya Leibman, executive vice president and chief information officer at American Airlines. “These issues are foundational to our company culture, and we are proud to support UT Dallas in making engineering a more accessible career path for all students,” Leibman said.
Leibman has also been involved at UT Dallas as a panelist for several Jonsson School events, including Women in Tech and Dimensions of Diversity: Engineering and Equitable Future.
HumCap, a high-tech HR consulting and recruiting firm based in Plano, created a $50,000 endowed scholarship in 2021 for first-generation STEM students at UT Dallas.
“We want to help those students get an education, then go out and do something great,” said Tad McIntosh, president and CEO of HumCap. “It will change generations.”
Dr. Stephanie Adams, dean of the Jonsson School and Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair, said that one of the Jonsson School’s main goals is to enable greater access to higher education for all students.
“Jonsson School graduates and engineers are in high demand, but the opportunities to participate in this field have not always been welcoming to everyone,” Adams said. “We need to bring our attention to fully including underrepresented students – those who are nontraditional in age, gender, racial and ethnic makeup, or those who are differently abled. Diverse perspectives help all of us by yielding the best solutions to problems facing our society.”
Funding Opportunities
In addition to expansive support from local businesses, donations from individuals are driving investments in financial aid at UT Dallas.
A new $100,000 scholarship to enhance diversity in the Department of Bioengineering was established by members of the department’s Industry Advisory Council, led by Dr. Claire Aldridge.
“UT Dallas’ Department of Bioengineering is a vital part of our local innovation ecosystem,” Aldridge said. “As home to a talented and diverse cohort of scholars, the department generates discoveries and new technologies that transform lives and businesses in North Texas. We’re proud to support this work.”
A second anonymous gift established a $100,000 endowed scholarship for in the Jonsson School for students who are active in organizations that promote women in engineering.
Building on the current progress of the University’s accessibility initiatives, alumni are working to ensure UT Dallas’ future excellence in these areas. A significant planned gift by Tina Quinn BS’12 and Charlie Quinn MBA’08 will be used to establish the Christina and Charles Quinn Scholarship for first-generation students pursuing degrees in the STEM fields or management. The Quinns’ gift will also create the Christina and Charles Quinn Professorship for faculty in either the Jonsson or Jindal Schools. Any additional realized funds will expand the Charles and Christina Quinn Award for Jindal School veterans, a scholarship established by the couple in 2014 that already benefits students through the Military and Veteran Center.
“It can be difficult for first-generation families to even think about college as an option, let alone navigate the system and afford the costs,” Charlie Quinn said. “We know that UT Dallas has a very diverse student body. We just want to help the University continue to attract world-class professors, develop world-class degree programs and recruit the best students who want to go to UT Dallas, not just those who can already afford it.”
As a major part of the New Dimensions campaign, UT Dallas seeks to enhance financial aid resources to attract the best and brightest talent. Continued philanthropic support to extend the value of a UT Dallas education to all students will be critical to the campaign’s success.