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Armstrongs commit $5 million to endow Dedman dean

A $5 million gift from entrepreneurs Elisabeth Martin Armstrong ’82 and William D. Armstrong ’82 will further the academic and research excellence of the ÃÛÌÒ½´Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences by endowing the school’s dean position, renaming it the Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean. Through their gift, the Armstrongs will support Dedman College’s future-focused leadership and strategic vision in perpetuity. 

“Leadership is crucial to the ways the University empowers our students as they pursue their academic goals,” said ÃÛÌÒ½´President R. Gerald Turner. “By endowing the Dedman College dean position, the Armstrongs will equip its leadership with the financial resources necessary to help meet the ever-evolving needs of the academic landscape for generations to come.”

Endowed positions are vital to the success, growth and mission of SMU. These endowments provide ongoing financial support for current and future needs as they arise, further strengthening the University’s growth and impact. In recognition of their commitment to the future of the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, its students and its teaching and research, the school’s dean position will be named the Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean.

The Armstrongs’ gift to Dedman College will also support one of the major goals of ÃÛÌÒ½´Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, the University’s multiyear $1.5 billion campaign for impact, by enriching teaching and research, as well as furthering SMU’s strategic plans to increase its number of endowed faculty positions in the coming years.

“Dedman College played a pivotal role in how Bill and I met and in our professional success,” said Liz Armstrong, co-owner of Armstrong Oil and Gas and Epoch Estate Wines. “We are incredibly proud to support and strengthen the future of humanities and sciences education at SMU, and we are excited about the lifelong impact that this gift will have on students and faculty research.”