The ExxonMobil Foundation has donated nearly $1.5 million in new gifts to The University of Texas at Austin, representing the company’s matching contribution of $3 for every dollar that its employees and retirees have made to UT Austin during the past year.
The check for $1.456 million, handed to UT Austin President Bill Powers in a ceremony on campus last month, marks the largest contribution the ExxonMobil Foundation made to any university that participated in its 2013 Educational Matching Gift Program. This total surpassed the previous year’s record-breaking contribution to UT Austin by nearly 11 percent. The UT gifts were part of $9.7 million in gifts to Texas institutions of higher learning from ExxonMobil and its employees and retirees.
“For decades, ExxonMobil has invested in the academic and research mission of The University of Texas at Austin. Our graduates have gone on to become leaders within the company,” Powers said. “The partnership has created new knowledge to address the world’s ongoing energy needs. And the company has made more than $56 million in gifts to support students and faculty across our campus. I thank ExxonMobil’s employees and leadership for their remarkable support.”
Most of the company’s support of the university is directed toward programs that promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and diversity in the workforce.
In addition to its Educational Matching Gift Program, ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation support university programs such as the Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program, which supports Texas migrant students as they work toward high school graduation; GeoFORCE Texas, which prepares high school students for geoscience careers; and UTeach Natural Sciences, which prepares secondary science, math and computer science teachers.
