Mary and Richard Templeton Commit $20 Million to SMU Lyle School of Engineering for Student Support, Research and an Endowed Deanship

Dallas (SMU) - SMU is celebrating a landmark $20 million gift to the Lyle School of Engineering from Dallas philanthropy and technology leaders Mary and Richard Templeton.

The Templetons have earmarked $15 million to support engineering education and research, providing endowment and operational support for strategic initiatives such as postdoctoral fellowships and research, financial assistance for doctoral students and undergraduate scholarships for women and students from underrepresented populations. An additional $5 million will endow and name the school's dean position.

“SMU provides the kind of robust education and research opportunities that are vital to the success and growth of Dallas,” said Richard Templeton, SMU trustee and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Texas Instruments. “The Lyle School has a proven reputation for building future leaders who are unafraid to ask big questions,” said Mary Templeton. “Rich and I are eager to see how our gift will support that kind of innovative thinking.”

The gift, announced Friday at the Lyle School, supports SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, the University’s $1.5 billion multi-year campaign for impact.

“Through their enduring commitment to the Lyle School of Engineering and its mission, Mary and Rich Templeton are helping our faculty and students build a brighter tomorrow,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner.

The Templetons’ commitment to strategic initiatives combines with their prior commitments to the Lyle School of Engineering to create the new Mary and Richard Templeton Engineering Excellence Program. The program includes support for:

· Postdoctoral fellowships to increase the school’s research capacity and output, supporting the University’s rise into the category of universities with the highest research activity.

· Scholarships for doctoral candidates, who boost research and become the next generation of engineering leaders and problem solvers.

· Undergraduate scholarships that enable SMU to attract the brightest engineering students and meeting more of their financial need so students graduate in a timely fashion. The program includes opportunities especially for women and students from underrepresented populations, building on the Lyle School’s longstanding commitment to gender and ethnic diversity.

· Research support to meet the essential needs of initiatives that show substantial promise to become sponsored projects.

· Mary and Richard Templeton Centennial Chair in Electrical Engineering, which supports an outstanding teacher and researcher who designs sophisticated technology.

The inaugural Mary and Richard Templeton Dean will be Nader Jalili, who is expected to join the University on March 1, 2023. The engineering leader currently serves as professor and head of mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama. With the naming of the Lyle School’s dean position, SMU now has donor-supported deans in all of its eight degree-granting schools.

Read more about the Templetons and the impact of their gift here.

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SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they direct change in their professions, communities and the world. Building on its history of excellence, the University has launched SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow – a multiyear $1.5 billion campaign to empower outstanding students, to enrich teaching and research, and to enhance our campus and community.

For nearly 100 years, the SMU Lyle School of Engineering has supported pioneering future leaders by offering dynamic learning opportunities, excelling at cutting-edge research and creating an impassioned, diverse community that spans far beyond the Hilltop. Through innovation and hands-on experiences, the Lyle School attracts a diverse mix of talented students interested in making a difference in the world through engineering. With a bold vision and assertive attitude, the school continues to grow both its undergraduate and graduate student population from a broad range of extraordinarily talented students across the nation and around the globe.