Trinity University's science program just got a mega boost with a $26.5 million donation from the Semmes Foundation, scoring the name D. R. Semmes School of Science for its already robust roster of departments. In a move that has the San Antonio-based campus buzzing, the windfall is hailed the largest in the university's history, set to endow a dean of science, two new faculty spots, and ramp up undergrad research gigs. San Antonio Report got the scoop, detailing the funds are also tagged for faculty development and professional growth to boot.
As per Trinity President Vanessa B. Beasley, this pretty penny is set to cement the institution's stance as a foremost player in undergraduate science education in America, Trinity University's news shared, and not just that, the Semmes’ name isn't new to Trinity, having a history of throwing financial muscle behind the school's chem hall and a science scholarship program that's picked up some brains along the way; think oil and gas exploration whiz Wesley Semmes, the foundation's patriarch.
D. R. Semmes School masters the blend of liberal arts smarts with scientific chops—the kind of combo that marks Trinity grads like Kylie Moden '17, who's carving a name in big tech, always with a nod to the human side, she told Trinity University. Top brass at Trinity, like the provost and the chemistry professor riding the academic high thanks to the Semmes' past endowments, can't stop singing praises about the profound impacts felt throughout the school's different science departments and programs.
The Semmes clan is woven into the very fabric of Trinity, with kinfolks strolling the hallways from as far back as '55, and into the freshman year of great-granddaughter Camille Semmes '26. Science geeks and amateur astronomers to aspiring neuroscientists and number crunchers, the gift's got something for them all as it juices up what's already there and lays out the foundation for spaces where tomorrow's big questions get wrestled with, according to the San Antonio Report.
