University of Texas at Dallas Causes get $2.5M During Comets Giving Days
University of Texas at Dallas donors contributed more than $2.5 million to 143 campus groups during Comets Giving Days on April 19-20. A record-breaking 2,959 gifts were made during the seventh annual two-day fundraising event.
The Karbala Center for Humanity made one of the largest single gifts, contributing $136,000 to the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology (AHT). The gift was part of a larger commitment to support a visiting professorship and provide funding to enhance the study of Islamic art, culture and languages.
The Karbala Center and AHT have previously collaborated to hold public lectures highlighting social justice issues in Western history.
“AHT has proudly partnered with the Karbala Center to expand opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue in North Texas,” said Dr. Nils Roemer, AHT dean and the Arts, Humanities, and Technology Distinguished University Chair. “This new commitment will directly support our school’s mission to highlight the importance of the arts to the study of human history.”
Roemer, the Stan and Barbara Rabin Distinguished Professor in Holocaust Studies, is also the director of the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies.
The Center for Retail Innovation and Strategy Excellence (RISE) in the Naveen Jindal School of Management received $25,000 from Populus Financial Group. Spencer Williams MBA’03, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Populus, presented the gift to RISE students and leaders during the event.
Williams highlighted the center’s mission to help North Texas companies respond to disruptive technologies and digital transformation as a key reason for his firm’s contribution.
“Our company spends $15 million to $20 million a year just in software development,” he said. “When I learned about the concept behind the RISE Center, I knew it was a sweet spot for us. That’s why we want to invest.”
Across campus, individual gifts combined to make a big impact, with more than 800 alumni contributing this year, which is nearly double the previous record for alumni gifts on Comets Giving Days.
One of the most successful fundraising groups this year was the Dallas Formula Racing team, whose donors took advantage of several challenges. The team received $11,000 through 180 gifts. The student organization won the Night Owl and Early Risers challenges and topped the leaderboard for groups with at least seven gifts, earning bonus funds for each win.
The group’s 75th gift earned a $5,000 challenge contribution from electrical engineering senior Alan Frias, the team’s electric vehicle (EV) hardware lead. Frias said he established the challenge to recognize the impact the team has made on his professional development.
“This donation was made because of people like [our previous electrical lead] Aaron Brown and [EV technical director and mechanical engineering graduate student] Fenton Luong, who mentored me and gave me an opportunity to grow to become the person I am today,” he said. “If I didn’t have Dallas Formula Racing in my life, I wouldn’t have gotten my internship at Apple or other internship offers from different companies. I hope to see this donation used to buy an electric motor for the EV team and to leave behind a legacy of a college Formula One-style EV car.”
UT Dallas’ digital ambassadors played a major role promoting the event through their social and professional circles. This year, they helped raise over $25,000 through more than 500 donations.
All gifts made during Comets Giving Days contributed to UT Dallas’ ongoing New Dimensions: The Campaign for UT Dallas, which aims to raise $750 million for transformative opportunities for students, faculty and programs throughout UTD.