Southern Methodist University is about to plug into a lot more power. The school announced it will receive a $60 million commitment from the Dallas-based O’Donnell Foundation to create a new interdisciplinary energy studies program and a named honors fund. The gift will seed the Energy Science, Innovation and Enterprise curriculum, help recruit faculty across campus, and underwrite scholarships and career advising for selected students. University leaders say the investment ranks among the largest recent gifts to SMU and is aimed at preparing graduates for jobs across North Texas’s energy economy.
New program and honors fund
According to The Dallas Morning News, the donation will launch SMU’s Energy Science, Innovation and Enterprise program and create the O’Donnell Academic Honors Fund, with offerings set to begin in fall 2026. The program is described as interdisciplinary, pulling faculty from SMU’s business, engineering and humanities and sciences schools to teach technical, entrepreneurial and policy skills. The honors fund will provide four years of seed money to recruit faculty and a career counselor, and scholarships for about 20 students in each initial major.
Why Dallas is the focus
Texas still dominates U.S. energy production and jobs, a reality SMU officials say makes the program timely. Data highlighted by the Dallas Fed and federal energy employment reports show the state supplies a huge share of the nation’s wind and fossil fuel output and supports roughly 990,100 energy related jobs. "Dallas has all of that, and that's why SMU is really the ideal place to locate a program like this," Bruce Bullock of SMU’s Maguire Energy Institute told The Dallas Morning News.
SMU’s fundraising backdrop
The donation arrives as SMU builds on a multiyear fundraising surge. SMU reports that its Ignited campaign topped $1.64 billion earlier this year, giving leaders more flexibility to invest in new academic priorities. The university also points to its new R1 research status and a roughly $2.3 billion endowment as factors that will amplify the gift’s effect. SMU notes that the O’Donnell Foundation previously invested in the university, including a $30 million commitment in 2023 that helped expand data science and engineering programs.
Donor profile and regional investments
The O’Donnell Foundation has been a major funder across North Texas education and research for decades, with a stated focus on math, science and the arts. In October the foundation pledged a separate $50 million investment to bolster college success across Dallas County, a package that directed funds to several local institutions including UT Dallas, according to UT Dallas.
SMU leaders say the program and honors fund are meant to attract students seeking careers in energy and to deepen ties between the university and industry across North Texas. Offerings and scholarships are slated to begin in fall 2026, and university officials say they will use the coming months to recruit faculty and finalize curriculum details.
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