{"id":430592,"date":"2025-12-07T08:31:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T08:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/430592\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T08:31:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T08:31:25","slug":"smu-draws-60-million-donation-to-launch-energy-studies-honors-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/430592\/","title":{"rendered":"SMU draws $60 million donation to launch energy studies, honors programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas-based O\u2019Donnell Foundation is committing $60 million to Southern Methodist University to help the school advance its vision of becoming a national leader<\/a> in energy studies amid the industry\u2019s boom<\/a> in North Texas.<\/p>\n

The donation is the second-largest gift in the university\u2019s history after a $100 million commitment from the Moody Foundation<\/a> in 2019 created the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. The late Edith and Peter O\u2019Donnell Jr. started the O\u2019Donnell Foundation in 1957, focused on bolstering math, science and arts. <\/p>\n

The investment from the prominent benefactor with a record of hefty donations to Texas schools will help SMU recruit top faculty, create an honors fund and launch an energy studies program. <\/p>\n

The university is touting a new \u201cEnergy Science, Innovation and Enterprise\u201d program as the first of its kind, due to its interdisciplinary approach. The program will prepare students for careers in energy<\/a>, oil and gas, entrepreneurship, and more. <\/p>\n

The Education Lab<\/p>\n

Receive our in-depth coverage of education issues and stories that affect North Texans.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Bringing in faculty across the university\u2019s business, engineering, and humanities and sciences schools, the program will fuse various subjects associated with the energy industry, from economics to engineering to public policy. The school\u2019s goal is to develop top-notch leaders who can steer the industry from any angle. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe energy sector is so front and center here, not only in the state of Texas, but also in Dallas,\u201d SMU President Jay Hartzell<\/a> told The Dallas Morning News in an interview Friday. \u201cEnergy is an area where we thought it was really ripe for an opportunity.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A student walked in front of J. Lindsay Embrey Engineering at Southern Methodist University on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Christine Vo \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Texas produces about 25% of the nation\u2019s wind energy, 25% of its fossil fuels and 5% of its nuclear energy. Texas employs about 990,100 workers in energy-related fields, according to the latest U.S. Energy and Employment Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the state is \u201cthe epicenter\u201d of a global energy industry, Dallas is uniquely positioned to lead it, said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute<\/a> at SMU, who helped envision the new program. The region is home to automotive<\/a> companies, oil<\/a> and gas businesses, and major financial<\/a> institutions. <\/p>\n

\u201cDallas has all of that, and that\u2019s why SMU is really the ideal place to locate a program like this,\u201d Bullock said. <\/p>\n

Students in the new program will learn not only the technical skills, but also the soft skills, like leadership, integrity and work ethic, Bullock added. That\u2019s especially important in an industry like energy, where leaders are required to manage big teams early in their careers, he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou want people that you are working with in another company to trust you. You want your boss to trust you. You want the industry to trust you.\u201d Bullock said. \u201cInstilling those kinds of work values and qualities in people is extremely important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Post<\/p>\n

William Solomon, president, chairman and CEO of the O\u2019Donnell Foundation, shared SMU\u2019s vision of an energy-driven future. The organization seeks to invest in budding leaders who will \u201cfulfill that promise for North Texas,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cNew technologies and new ways of providing more energy, in our current era and looking forward to the next few years, is a real priority,\u201d Solomon said. \u201cWe think it\u2019s an investment well worth making.\u201d<\/p>\n

SMU will also start an honors program in the foundation\u2019s name, called the O\u2019Donnell Academic Honors Fund. Selected students will gain a \u201cdistinctive educational experience,\u201d studying closely with faculty members and in small classroom sizes. <\/p>\n

The \u201chighly personalized\u201d honors program will focus on students in \u201chigh-impact fields,\u201d starting with those majoring in biology, chemistry and applied physiology and health management. Those programs will access four years of seed funding to recruit faculty and a career counselor. <\/p>\n

Twenty students from each chosen major will receive scholarships and career advising. Scholars in their third year will have professional experiences that align with their major, like assisting in research or internships. <\/p>\n

The offerings will start in fall 2026. The programs support SMU\u2019s new strategic plan, set to be unveiled in spring 2026. The donation will allow the school to pursue its \u201crelentless focus\u201d on attracting top-tier students and faculty members, Hartzell said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a magnet for talent from all over the country,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Hartzell hopes prospects who are looking for an \u201cinnovative, interdisciplinary approach to energy\u201d are thinking to themselves: \u201cThis is the place to do it.\u201d <\/p>\n

SMU serves about 7,600 undergraduate students and 5,000 graduate students, according to university data. An undergraduate student living on campus can expect to pay<\/a> about $93,000 annually. The university boasts an endowment of $2.3 billion. <\/p>\n

SMU became one of 16 Texas institutions awarded an R1 designation<\/a> under the Carnegie Classification<\/a> of Institutions of Higher Education this year. It\u2019s a coveted status recognizing universities that spend significantly on research and produce a high number of research doctorates. The designation can boost a school\u2019s national standing, drawing in talented students and faculty, as well as more research money. <\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Post<\/p>\n

The O\u2019Donnell Foundation has donated almost $100 million to SMU over the past three years. In 2023, the foundation invested $30 million<\/a> to strengthen SMU\u2019s engineering and data science programs \u2014 $15 million to the O\u2019Donnell Data Science and Research Computing Institute<\/a>, and $15 million to the Initiative for Digital Innovation in Engineering and Computer Science. <\/p>\n

Since the foundation\u2019s founding, the O\u2019Donnells have donated a total of $780 million, according to Peter O\u2019Donnell Jr.\u2018s published memoir. <\/p>\n

\"Edith<\/p>\n

Edith and Peter O\u2019Donnell Jr. received honorary degrees from SMU in 2008 in recognition of their philanthropy.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of SMU <\/p>\n

The foundation has made higher education a focal point. In October, the O\u2019Donnell Foundation invested $50 million<\/a> in schools across Dallas, including the University of North Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at Dallas and SMU. <\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Todd<\/p>\n

At SMU, Peter O\u2019Donnell Jr., a Dallas native, sat on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Governors and on the Lyle School of Engineering Executive Board, according to the university. <\/b>Edith O\u2019Donnell served on the Meadows School of the Arts\u2019 Executive Board. <\/p>\n

Peter O\u2019Donnell Jr. funded his family fortune through a prosperous brokerage business. He died in 2021<\/a> at the age of 97. His wife died in 2020<\/a> at the age of 94. <\/b><\/p>\n

\"Southern<\/p>\n

Southern Methodist University on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Christine Vo \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

As Solomon carries on their work, he said the SMU gift embodies the late couple\u2019s legacy, hopes and dreams for North Texas. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think they would be very pleased,\u201d he said. \u201cThis would be one of our largest grants, because we think it\u2019s one of our most exciting possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.<\/p>\n

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab\u2019s journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas-based O\u2019Donnell Foundation is committing $60 million to Southern Methodist University to help the school advance its…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":430593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,76159,407,65389,112400,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-430592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-ed-lab-college-careers","11":"tag-education","12":"tag-education-lab","13":"tag-smu-fwddfw","14":"tag-texas","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115677357295483933","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}