ExxonMobil Foundation Presents Baylor with $340,575 from Educational Matching Gifts Program
“Baylor Day” event hosted by alumni in Houston celebrates generosity and commitment to higher education
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HOUSTON, Texas (April 29, 2016) – Baylor University has received $340,575 from ExxonMobil and its employees through the ExxonMobil Foundation’s 2015 Educational Matching Gift Program.
Representatives from ExxonMobil presented Baylor President and Chancellor Ken Starr with the check during an April 28 ceremony celebrating the generosity of ExxonMobil and the impact the contributions continue to have on the University. The ceremony was part of a “Baylor Day” held by Baylor alumni at ExxonMobil’s new campus in Houston.
The recent gift increases the ExxonMobil Foundation’s giving to Baylor to a cumulative amount of more than $8.4 million.
“On behalf of Baylor University, we extend our heartfelt thanks to ExxonMobil, whose philanthropic focus on higher education creates vitally important opportunities through the Matching Gifts Program,” Judge Starr said. “We are deeply grateful for our Baylor University alumni, parents and friends who are part of the ExxonMobil family and who have multiplied their own generosity through this extraordinary program of support. The ExxonMobil family is truly making a profound difference in the lives of Baylor students.”
More than 100 Baylor alumni, parents and friends joined together with Baylor staff and faculty to participate in the “Baylor Day” at the 385-acre, state-of-the-art campus. The events began with sessions and round table discussions on topics, from analytics to the role of a controller in major projects.
Terry Maness, D.B.A., dean of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, and Dennis O’Neal, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, participated in the forums, which were followed by a tour of the facilities. The tour included the meeting and training center, a laboratory, wellness center, a child development center and dining and retail amenities. The “Baylor Day” culminated in a Dr Pepper Hour reception, followed by the check presentation and an address by Judge Starr.
The ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corp. The Foundation’s contribution, representing the generosity of many alumni, friends and supporters of higher education, underscores a long-standing commitment to higher education that is the foundation for Baylor’s relationship with the ExxonMobil Corp.
In 2015-2016, contributions from ExxonMobil employees, retirees, directors and surviving spouses to Baylor were matched at a 3:1 ratio in unrestricted grants from the ExxonMobil Foundation. Although the contributions can be used for a wide variety of academic programs, colleges and universities are encouraged to designate a portion to math and science programs supporting student engagement.
The program matches donor pledges 3:1 up to $7,500 to qualified colleges and universities in the United States, along with the American Indian College Fund, Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the United Negro College Fund. Since the Educational Matching Gift Program began in 1962, more than $568 million have been donated to American institutions of higher learning.
Though ExxonMobil’s program is one of the most generous, more than 7,500 companies offer matching gift programs to their employees. To find out more about matching gifts to Baylor University, visit www.matchinggifts.com/baylor or contact University Development at 254-710-2561. Gifts, including matching gifts, may be securely made online at www.baylor.edu/onlinegiving.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.