$6.1 Million Semmes Foundation Gift to Expand Trinity Science

Thanks to a $6.1 million gift from the Semmes Foundation, Trinity University is expanding opportunities for undergraduate students and faculty in the D. R. Semmes School of Science. The new gift will enable students to work with prominent scientists outside of Trinity, support faculty-led field trips to conduct research, and create a new Semmes Distinguished Professor.

The Semmes Foundation has given more than $32 million to Trinity in support of the sciences, including $26.5 million in 2024 to name the school. Other gifts have established and continue to fund the Semmes Distinguished Scholars in Science Scholarships for students and two distinguished professorships in chemistry, one held by Adam Urbach, Ph.D., the other by Jason Shearer, Ph.D.

"Trinity offers an undergraduate science education that is unmatched in the country, thanks in large part to the Semmes Foundation's generosity," says Trinity University President Vanessa B. Beasley, Ph.D. "Their investments ensure that our faculty can connect with students in meaningful ways, and more students can experience the pursuit of scientific discovery, giving them a significant advantage in careers or graduate school."

Pat Semmes, Ph.D., a member of Trinity's Board of Trustees and a former computer science professor at the University, says, "Our goal, our vision, is to make sure Trinity University's best years are still ahead."

Tom Semmes agrees, adding, "President Beasley inspired us with a vision of Trinity University offering the best science education at a liberal arts university. We know that science needs world-class faculty, the strongest students, and the latest equipment to create an environment where the work can flourish."

Pat and Tom Semmes believe that the Foundation's philosophy for giving to Trinity begins with students.

"Everything is built around the students-the facilities, the investments, all of it. But right behind that is the faculty, because you can't have great students without a stellar faculty," Pat Semmes says. "When I ask students why they came to Trinity, they invariably say because of the faculty. When I ask the faculty why they came, they say it's because of the high-caliber students. We want Trinity to be the college of choice for outstanding faculty and the brightest students."

Of the $6.1 million, $2.5 million will fund student experiences outside of Trinity's campus to work with cutting-edge research scientists wherever they are-locally, nationally, or internationally.

"This allows students to work with prominent scientists who are not on the Trinity faculty-researchers local or even farther away-and to have experiences they wouldn't ordinarily have. That might change a student's trajectory," Pat Semmes says.

"The funds will be added to the existing Semmes Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), part of a larger program fund," says David Ribble '82, Ph.D., dean of the D. R. Semmes School of Science. Each summer, Trinity provides stipends for students to do research, an opportunity that is quickly growing. "We've gone from 12 to 24 to 36 summer fellows," Ribble says. "Last year we had 80 applicants; this year we had 160 applicants." Now, the new Semmes grant will support year-round research opportunities.

The Foundation has dedicated $3.5 million of its gift to establish an endowment for a new Semmes Distinguished Professorship in the psychology department. "The professor chosen for the position will be selected from among internal candidates in the next few weeks," Ribble says. The discipline is increasingly popular, and the faculty "have been very productive: publishing, obtaining grants, and creating experiential learning opportunities for students," Ribble adds.

"I am also very excited about a new gift, a chance to pilot a postbaccalaureate experience for Trinity students," Pat Semmes says. With the remaining funds of the $6.1 million gift, select graduating seniors will be offered a fifth year to continue their research in a faculty member's lab. "These are stellar students already being mentored by faculty members. The faculty members benefit from having the students stay another year, and the students benefit from gaining another year of research experience," she adds.

The excellent preparation that Trinity science students gain is second-to-none, Pat Semmes and Ribble agree. "The accomplishments they're making show us that," she says.

"Faculty and students are making discoveries," Ribble says. "This is real research. It's research with undergraduates."

"You just feel like Trinity students are the scientists of the future-the people who are going to be solving the big problems we're all worrying about. Even problems we don't know about yet," Tom Semmes says.