New Gifts: RECENT GIFTS TO THE FOUNDATION

Smile Bright

To meet the needs of its expanding student population and provide increased dental care, the College of Dentistry is building a world-class Dentistry Clinic and Education Building. Joy and Ralph Ellis ’52 are supporting the new facility in memory of their longtime friend, M.D. “Dee” Ogden ’56, their family dentist for more than 50 years.

Known for his compassionate nature and close rapport with patients, Ogden ran a dentistry practice in Dallas. Selfless by nature, he often volunteered to serve impoverished communities and provided free dental work to the homeless. In recognition of the couple’s gift, an operating room in the General Practice Wing of the new facility will be named in Ogden’s honor. “I can’t imagine any person more deserving than Dee to be remembered by the dental school,” said Ralph.

The College of Dentistry is the largest single provider of oral health care in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and many of its patients are low-income or homeless. The new 165,000-square-foot space will allow the college to increase its student enrollment by 25 percent and its patient visits from 100,000 to 150,000 annually.

The college seeks $10 million in private funds for the facility, which is expected to open in fall 2019. To support the facility, contact Melissa Ogden—Dee Ogden’s daughter and director of development for the College of Dentistry—at (214) 828-8449 or mogden@txamfoundation.com.

Paups Support Aggie Lawyers

To attract talented students to study law and lessen their financial burdens, Anne and Henry “Hank” Paup ’70 invested in Texas A&M University’s School of Law by establishing the institution’s first dean’s scholarship. Their $125,000 contribution was matched by university funds to create a $250,000 endowment.

While the law profession is financially rewarding, the couple hopes students pursue careers in law for other reasons. “Law is a profession, not a ticket to riches,” Hank said. “If you are in it for the money, don’t do it. Do it to serve others.”

Hank is a lawyer in the law school’s home city of Fort Worth. He’s excited to see the relatively young institution grow to match the caliber of other Texas A&M graduate programs. “I was thrilled when Texas A&M acquired its law school in 2013,” Hank said. “We now have a top-tier medical school, and Anne and I want to help our law school achieve that same distinction.”

You can establish a dean's scholarship for a law student with a $62,500 gift and utilize a limited-time match by the university to create a $125,000 endowment. Contact Myke Holt, senior director of development, at mholt@txamfoundation.com or (817) 212-4061 to learn more.

Inspiring Innovation

Mays Business School at Texas A&M University will establish an Innovation Research Center thanks to a $3 million gift from the Mays Family Foundation paired with a $2.6 million contribution from the Charles Koch Foundation.

Drawing from academic disciplines across Texas A&M, the center will examine the nature of innovation and how it advances human potential. It will provide research support to new and existing faculty across the university; fund Ph.D. fellowship and undergraduate research opportunities; and award prizes for outstanding research that advances the mission of the center.

“Our goal is to understand the true nature of innovation and investigate how innovation spreads through society, including who benefits from innovation, the barriers to innovation, and the corporate and government policies that can induce innovation,” said Eli Jones, dean of Mays Business School. “Through their generosity, these two foundations are helping us create an ecosystem around innovation that students can seamlessly plug into.”

Aggie Parents Give Back

Shelly ’87 and Rodney Moss ’87, the 2017 Aggie Parents of the Year, gave $25,000 to establish a scholarship for undergraduate students in the Department of Construction Science.

“Texas A&M University is a unique institution that develops leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good,” said Shelly. “We raised our four children to live by Texas A&M’s values and, by the grace of God, they have been blessed with opportunities to make a difference in the world.”

The Mosses have four children attending Texas A&M: Hannah ’17, Ian ’18, Olivia ’20 and Sophie ’21. Ian Moss is a Texas A&M Yell Leader. “Ian and Sophie are both majoring in construction science, making them the fourth generation of Mosses in the construction industry,” said Rodney.

Rodney’s colleague at Aon Risk Solutions, Kevin White, also contributed to the scholarship in addition to the Construction Industry Advisory Council. “This scholarship is a meaningful way for our family and friends to support a deserving Aggie student each year and give back to the industry that has given so much to us,” said Shelly.