Prominent Dallas civic leaders Deedie and Rusty Rose have donated $1 million to the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin to fund two endowments in urban planning.
The funds will be used to create an endowed professorship in urban planning and an endowed graduate fellowship in urban planning.
Both endowments will focus on reconnecting the planning profession with the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. By integrating the strengths of these disciplines, some of the 21st century’s greatest planning challenges, including rapid urbanization and population growth, coordination of transportation and land use, and the need to conserve energy and curb the use of greenhouse gases, can be tackled with a holistic approach.
“This wonderful gift will help us to build on one of our biggest strengths here in the School of Architecture,” said Fritz Steiner, dean of the School of Architecture. “No other school in Texas, and very few in the nation, offer the rich mix of disciplines that we do.”
“Deedie and Rusty have a long history of community involvement and a tremendous understanding of the issues we face as a society,” Steiner said. “The funds will enable us to pursue transformative methods to help change the urban environments in which we live.”
Deedie Rose, an alumna of Texas Christian University, is a longtime supporter of the School of Architecture and is a life member of the Architecture Advisory Council. She is honorary co-chair of the school’s capital campaign. Her long involvement with the university includes serving as a former board member for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and as a founding member of the Fine Arts Council.
Among her many civic contributions in Dallas is her notable leadership with the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts.
Deedie Rose is a principal of two endowments in the School of Architecture, the John William Potter Endowed Fund for the Encouragement of Risk Taking and the Lawrence W. Speck Excellence Fund.
Rusty Rose, a graduate in engineering science at The University of Texas at Austin, is president of Cardinal Investment Company in Dallas. He was also co-owner and co-managing director of the Texas Rangers baseball team from 1989-1998 and is chairman of Drew Industries, Inc.
“It is important to see the beauty in the world around us, while at the same time, realizing that as humans, we are responsible for making the world a beautiful–and healthy–place for generations to come,” said Deedie Rose. “To renew our world, we must renew our thinking. I’m confident that with our support and the support of others, institutions like the School of Architecture at UT will help lead the way to a more sustainable, livable future.”
