June 11, 2021UTSA receives $40 million gift from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett to bolster student success
The University of Texas at San Antonio today announced that it has received a transformational $40 million gift from philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett to support its vision of becoming a model for student success, a great public research university, and an exemplar for strategic growth and innovative excellence. The unrestricted gift allows the university to allocate the funds in ways that will most benefit its student population, now and for generations to come.
University leaders are developing a comprehensive plan to allocate the gift to student success initiatives—including enrollment, retention, learning and graduation—in perpetuity. Their plan will strengthen and expand upon existing student success programs that have consistently demonstrated impactful results, especially for students-in-need.
Scott and Jewett were drawn to UTSA because of the university’s strong commitment to create pathways to success for students from communities with significant educational attainment and income disparities.
At UTSA, 75% of students receive financial aid, and 45% receive federal Pell grants. The latter are awarded to students with exceptional financial need.
The donors were also attracted to UTSA’s identity as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and its focus on accelerating Latino student success through intentional systems and programs. In 2020, Excelencia in Education awarded UTSA the prestigious Seal of Excelencia, a comprehensive certification recognizing the university’s commitment and ability to serve Hispanics, which comprise 57% of its student population.
It will help prepare them as leaders in their fields and further builds the competitiveness of our San Antonio economy.
