By Aziza Musa, Daily Texan Staff
The University will receive more than $1 million in donations from Exxon Mobil Corp. in May, as part of a grant from the annual ExxonMobil Foundation’s 2009 Educational Matching Gift Program, in which employees and retirees donate money to higher educational institutions across the nation.
Exxon Mobil matches those donations by a ratio of 3 to 1. In Texas alone, contributions totaled $7.9 million to 83 colleges and universities. For UT, the $1 million funding is the largest amount Exxon Mobil has given through the matching-gift program.
Employees and retirees of the company will determine exactly where the money will go, but they encouraged the University to spend a portion of it on science and mathematics programs because Exxon Mobil is a technology company, Exxon Mobil spokeswoman Karen Matusic said.
Matusic said some funds, however, are unrestricted and can be used in whatever way the college would like.
Mark Blount, the University’s director of corporate relations, said he expects the funds to benefit the entire campus.
“The majority of contributions [have gone] to the Cockrell School of Engineering, McCombs School of Business, Jackson School of Geosciences, LBJ School of Public Affairs and the School of Law because of the number of alumni that are working for the company,” Blount said.
He said that as the number of alumni who are current or past employees of the company has increased throughout the years, so has the amount of funding.
“They’re tremendously helpful and valued across the University, [especially in the midst of budget cuts],” Blount said. “It will allow us to do things we wouldn’t be able to do without it, like support students, faculty, important programs and areas of research”.
The University will celebrate this year’s matching-gift contribution May 3, the same day it will receive the funding.
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