Transformational Generosity
Every day across UT Southwestern’s campus and clinics, we see the difference philanthropy makes in the lives of students, faculty, and patients. Through the sustaining support of donors like you, generosity empowers this institution to pursue life-changing work.
Earlier this year, we celebrated a historic gift that underscored this potential. Recognizing the importance of a new School of Public Health at UT Southwestern to serve generations of North Texans, the O’Donnell Foundation donated $100 million to endow and support its foundational growth. The gift was the largest gift to a school of public health at a public university. Its impact will be transformational, accelerating the school’s trajectory and creating opportunities for students and faculty. To recognize the gift’s significance and the Foundation’s namesake, the school has been named the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health.
Amplifying this extraordinary act of generosity, Dallas philanthropist Lyda Hill and acclaimed epidemiologist Richard E. Hoffman, M.D., M.P.H., stepped forward to establish a deanship and the school’s first scholarship endowment, respectively. These gifts provide strategic support as we pursue a national search for a visionary leader and prepare to welcome the first class of graduate students in 2023.
This past spring also marked the 40th anniversary of The Sweetheart Ball, an evening dedicated to raising funds for heart disease research at UT Southwestern. Since 1982, the event’s philanthropic impact on Texas’ top-ranked cardiology program has exceeded $39 million, a testament to the dedicated community of women who host the event year after year.
We also pause to remember the remarkable legacy of W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr., who died late last year. A legendary oilman who recognized UT Southwestern’s capacity to expand access to health care across this region, Mr. Moncrief was a driving force behind the creation of the Moncrief Cancer Institute and the UT Southwestern Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth. We are grateful for his generous spirit that challenged us to look beyond our campus for ways to serve the needs of Tarrant County.
Together, these acts of generosity enable us to reach higher in pursuit of extraordinary education, innovative research, and exemplary patient care. I hope that as you read these stories and others, you will appreciate how philanthropy advances this institution and the abiding gratitude we hold for the community partners who enable UT Southwestern’s success.
