Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas has announced a $20 million gift from Texas Instruments CEO and SMU trustee Rich Templeton and his wife, Mary, in support of student scholarships and fellowships at the Lyle School of Engineering.

The gift will establish the Mary and Richard Templeton Engineering Excellence Program—expanding on the couple’s $5 million commitment in 2021—and includes $15 million for postdoctoral research fellowships, financial assistance for doctoral students, and undergraduate scholarships for women and students from underrepresented populations as well as $5 million to provide support for other initiatives and endow the engineering school’s dean position. In recognition of the gift, the dean position will be named after the Templetons.

“The Lyle School has a proven reputation for building future leaders who are unafraid to ask big questions,” said Mary Templeton, president of the Richard and Mary Templeton Foundation.

“The Templetons’ generosity to the Lyle School is invaluable to SMU’s commitment to excellence and to reaching Carnegie R1 status,” said SMU provost and vice president for academic affairs Elizabeth G. Loboa. “With this gift, the Templetons are extending their legacy of pushing SMU into the upper echelons of higher education.”

(Photo credit: Southern Methodist University)