December 15, 2005

Dedman Foundation Provides Matching Gifts
For Law School Scholarships and Faculty Chairs

DALLAS (SMU) — Continuing a long history of support for SMU, the Dedman Foundation has designated $3 million of its $20 million commitment to the School of Law as a matching grant to attract additional gifts for scholarships and faculty positions. The $20 million commitment was made in February 2001 to endow and name the Dedman School of Law.

The Foundation will match gifts pledged by other donors over the next three years for specific projects.

Qualifying gifts must be for scholarships (minimum pledge of $100,000), faculty professorships (gift of $1 million), or faculty chairs (gift of $1.5 million, of which $1 million can be matched). The Foundation has agreed to match qualifying scholarship gifts on a dollar-for-dollar basis for up to a total of $2 million. It will match up to $1 million pledged for faculty professorships or chairs. To encourage new giving among several donors, the Dedman Foundation will match gifts of no more than $2 million from any single donor.

Under the match system, if a donor pledges $1 million for a new scholarship, the Foundation provides the same amount, raising the scholarship’s funding to a total of $2 million, and the new gift is named in honor of the donor.

The match period starts at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14, 2005, and concludes at 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 14, 2009.

“This latest act of generosity from the Dedman family continues a heritage of support that has resulted in endowments for Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, the Dedman Life Sciences Building, Dedman professorships in economics and history, scholarships for Dallas area high school students, and funds to support the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “Additional funds for scholarships and faculty positions are essential in providing the highest-quality education to students who will become leaders in the legal profession.”

The Dedman Foundation was established by the late Robert H. Dedman Sr., ClubCorp founder, who earned a Master of Laws degree from SMU, and his wife, Nancy, who received a Bachelor’s degree in political science. The Foundation board includes their daughter, Patricia, who earned a Master’s degree from SMU; and their son, Robert H. Dedman Jr., who received both J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from SMU. Robert Dedman Jr.’s wife, Rachel Redecker Dedman, holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree from SMU.

“It is our hope this challenge grant will encourage others to accelerate their support of the great progress the Law School continues to make with attracting and retaining their outstanding faculty and most deserving student scholars,” said Robert H. Dedman Jr.

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Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas with more than 10,000 students and offers degree programs through seven schools. More information about SMU is available at www.smu.edu.