With a year left in Texas State University’s Pride in Action capital campaign, President Denise M. Trauth said this week the university has raised more than $134.5 million, which is $24.5 million more than the goal of the campaign launched in 2006.
“Our campaign efforts were bolstered recently by three major gifts totaling about $2.4 million. And there’s a bonus. Because the gifts are tied to research activities, they are eligible for significant matching grants under the Texas Research Incentive Program,” she said in an update to friends of the university.
Trauth said one is a planned gift from retired faculty member Grady Early, which will fund research efforts in forensic anthropology. “The gift makes Grady our 30th “Hero,” those who have given $1 million or more to Texas State. Grady previously gave a gift to establish an endowment for graduate student fellowships in that field,” she said.
Another is a gift from alumnus Tom Roddy and his wife, Jo, for an endowed professorship in the McCoy College of Business Administration. Funds awarded from that endowment will be used to recognize and support an outstanding faculty member in the Department of Finance and Economics, Trauth said.
The third is from alumnus Kenneth Wilson and his wife, Verena, for an endowment to fund collaborative research between Texas State and the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The proceeds from the endowment will be used to fund graduate research assistantships and related expenditures that support field and laboratory projects. Texas State and the Royal University have had a formal exchange program for faculty and students since 2006, Trauth said.
“These gifts demonstrate a deep commitment from our donors who recognize the need to invest in our university – not only for the good of our students, but for the economic vitality of this state. We also believe this illustrates continued faith Texas State alumni and donors have in our approach to addressing higher education needs for the university,” she said.
“Our state leadership is challenged in each legislative session to parse out limited funds for a variety of important sectors, including health care, public education and higher education, so in these uncertain times we must work hard to find other sources of funding. We are grateful for all of the generosity our donors have shown us, and we expect to continue our fundraising efforts to help us achieve new levels of excellence with each passing year,” Trauth said.