AUSTIN, Texas—ExxonMobil has given about $687,500 to The University of Texas at Austin to match $272,000 in individual gifts from the company’s employees and retirees in the past year.
Most of the donations benefit programs in business, engineering and geosciences, reflecting the primary academic background of ExxonMobil’s personnel, but funds also were directed to other areas throughout the campus.
“I am extremely grateful for the generosity of our alumni and for the commitment of ExxonMobil to encourage its employees and retirees in gift-giving,” said university President William Powers Jr. “We value our partnership and look forward to many more years of productive collaboration.”
Powers noted that the matching gift represents a 31-percent increase over last year. ExxonMobil matches higher education gifts 3-to-1 for academic programs and 1-to-1 for cultural programs. Nationwide, the company donated more than $21 million to match about $9 million in higher education gifts from its employees and retirees in 2005. The company’s match for Texas alone was $4.5 million, based on gifts to 74 campuses.
“Each year, the generosity of our employees and retirees has enabled hundreds of universities across the nation to enhance their current educational programs to achieve new levels of excellence,” said Kenneth P. Cohen, vice president for public affairs at ExxonMobil and chairman of its foundation.
ExxonMobil gives to numerous other areas in addition to higher education, focusing its philanthropy in the communities in which it has significant operations. In 2005, the company, its foundation and affiliates provided $133 million in contributions worldwide, with $42 million dedicated to education.
For more information contact: Mark W. Blount, 512-475-9674.
