The ExxonMobil Foundation has given a record $1.19 million to The University of Texas at Austin as a match of gifts made by the company’s employees and retirees during the past calendar year.
The donation is the largest matching gift the university has ever received and the largest that the ExxonMobil Foundation gave to any institution for 2011.
“The ExxonMobil Foundation is a key partner for excellence at UT,” says Bill Powers, president of the university, who accepted this year’s ceremonial check at an event honoring the foundation’s contribution. “ExxonMobil’s employees and retirees and the Foundation’s generous matching funds have made a huge difference on our campus.”
Including this year’s matching gift of $1,190,993.25 the foundation’s largest by more than $100,000 ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation have given $50.5 million to the university, more than any other corporation, through a range of programs over 36 years. A majority of ExxonMobil’s philanthropy at the university benefits students and programs in areas that reflect the diverse backgrounds of the company’s personnel.
“We’re proud to be helping educate the energy industry’s future workforce in areas ranging from engineering, geosciences and natural sciences to business, law and public affairs,” Powers says.
In addition to its matching gifts, the ExxonMobil Foundation’s recent philanthropic support of the university includes grants to the Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program; GeoFORCE Texas, which prepares high school students for geoscience careers; and UTeach Natural Sciences, which prepares secondary science, math and computer science teachers.
