Southern Methodist University in Dallas has announced a $50 million gift from alumnus David B. Miller, his wife, Carolyn, and their foundation in support of its business school.

The largest single gift in the university's history will support the Edwin L. Cox School of Business, including curriculum modernization efforts, endowed faculty positions, facility renovations, community outreach initiatives, and an expansion of its scholarship programs, with a focus on diversity.

Miller attended SMU on a basketball scholarship in the 1970s and was a three-year varsity starting center while earning bachelor's and master's degrees in finance. A co-founder and managing partner of EnCap Investments, he has served on the SMU board of trustees for eleven years and currently serves as vice chair.

The Millers' latest gift boosts their total support for the university to more than $100 million. Previous gifts from the couple and the David B. Miller Family Foundation include support for the business school, the university's basketball programs, the Don Jackson Center for Financial Studies, the MBA-Military Scholarships and David Miller Endowed Scholarship Fund, the David B. Miller Endowed Professorship, the Cox School's EnCap Investments & LCM Group Alternative Asset Management Center, and the Carolyn and David Miller Campus Center on the SMU-Taos campus.

"We desperately need to upgrade the facilities, but at the same time what really tugs at Carolyn and me and pulls on our hearts are scholarships," Miller told the Dallas Morning News. "You've got to have nice facilities. There's no question about that. But the scholarship piece of it is critical to us."

"Bringing in students from many backgrounds uplifts the campus and the educational experience for all," said Carolyn Miller, an educator and community advocate.