More Than $80 Million In Gifts Received By Southern Methodist University, NYU, And Spelman College

The past week has seen three institutions – Southern Methodist University, New York University, and Spelman College – receive multi-million dollar donations for the enhancement of their academic and research programs. Combined, the gifts total more than $80 million.

Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University announced that it has received a $20 million gift for its Lyle School of Engineering from Mary and Richard Templeton. The gift is divided into two components:

• $15 million for engineering education and research, including endowment and operational support for initiatives such as postdoctoral fellowships and research, financial assistance for doctoral students and undergraduate scholarships for women and students from underrepresented populations.
• $5 million to endow and name the school’s deanship. The inaugural Mary and Richard Templeton Dean will be Nader Jalili, who’s expected to join the University on March 1. Jalili currently serves as head of mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama.

“SMU provides the kind of robust education and research opportunities that are vital to the success and growth of Dallas,” said Richard Templeton, an SMU trustee and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Texas Instruments.

“Through their enduring commitment to the Lyle School of Engineering and its mission, Mary and Rich Templeton are helping our faculty and students build a brighter tomorrow,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner in the university’s news release.

New York University

New York University’s Stern School of Business has announced that it’s received a commitment of $53.6 million from Anne Tasca. The donation, which is the largest single gift in Stern’s history, will go primarily towards funding student scholarships at the undergraduate and MBA levels with a particular focus on global study and travel. The gift will also endow a faculty chair in the name of Tasca’s father, economist and American diplomat, Henry J. Tasca.

To honor Ms. Tasca for her bequest, NYU Stern will also, beginning with the 2023-24 academic year, annually award four additional, new scholarships in Ms. Tasca’s name, two each in the undergraduate and MBA programs.

“There is only one word to describe Anne’s generosity and that is ‘breathtaking,’” said Raghu Sundaram, Dean of the Stern Business School in the official announcemnt. “We are deeply honored that she has chosen to make this truly exceptional gift to the Stern School. She is leaving a legacy that will provide generations of future Tasca Scholars access to the power of education and the ability to pursue it along with their dreams.”

Anne Tasca, a dual American and Italian citizen, earned her BS degree from NYU Stern in 1988, while working for Citibank. She then went on to pursue a master’s degree in international relations. Today, she leads the family’s real estate firm, Edilizia Rosazza SRL, in Rome, with her sister.

Spelman College

Spelman College has received a $10 million gift from Rosemary K. and John W. Brown to further excellence in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). The Browns’ gift will support the architectural, construction and equipment costs forSpel man College’s new Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts, scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.

The new Center will serve as an entrepreneurship incubator for students and forge partnerships between innovation partners in academia and industry. The facility will also allow innovators, collaborators, artists, musicians and scientists from numerous departments across the campus to come together under one roof, fostering more interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students.

“We deeply appreciate Rosemary and John Brown, and our Board member Janine Brown, for their support of Spelman College and this gift, which takes us a step closer to making the Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., Center for Innovation & the Arts a reality for our campus and surrounding community,” said Helene Gayle, president of Spelman College. “This investment is a testament to their continued commitment to supporting the education of women, as well revitalization in the West End community.”

The Browns have frequently contributed to higher education causes. Among their gifts is one that created the Rosemary and John Brown Family Scholars Program at Emory University, designed to increase enrollment of women in the Emory University Goizueta Business School’s graduate programs. That program is also open to alumnae of Spelman College and Agnes Scott College.

John Brown, chairman emeritus of the Stryker corporation, received his bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University. Rosemary Brown received her bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Auburn University and her master’s in mathematics education degree from Rutgers University.

“We are pleased to support Spelman College and the transformational educational experiences afforded to Spelman students, especially in the STEAM areas. We have long admired the work of Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell and she in particular has inspired us to make this gift to the Center for Innovation & the Arts,” said Rosemary and John Brown.