Endowments and Gifts to the Texas A&M University Physics Department

The Department of Physics at Texas A&M University has seen a dramatic increase in endowments over the last three years. Prof. Fry, head of the physics department, has transmitted succesfully the energy and potential of the department to many benefactors, in particular George and Cynthia Mitchell, Charles Munnerlyn, and the Heep Foundation, whose donations are helping establish the Texas A&M Physics department as one of the premier physics research institutions in the country. The total amount of external endowments over this three year period has exceeded $53.8 million.

The following is a list of external endowments made during the past three years.

• George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute Building ($12,000,000)
• George P. Mitchell Physics Building ($45,000,000)
• Mitchell/Heep Chair in Theoretical High Energy Physics ($1,000,000 held by Nanopoulos)
• Mitchell/Heep Chair in Experimental High Energy Physics ($1,000,000 held by McIntyre)
• Schuessler--Laux/Mitchell/Heep Chair in Optical and Biomedical Physics ( $1,000,000 held by(Schessler)
• Stephen Hawking Chair in Fundamental Physics ($2,000,000 held by Pope)
• Rachal/Mitchell/Heep Professorship in Physics/Astronomy ($600,000)
• Endowment for the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics ($1,000,000)
• Mitchell/Munnerlyn/Heep Chair in Observational Astronomy/Cosmology ($2,000,000 held by Suntzeff)
• Mitchell/Munnerlyn/Heep Career Enhancement Award ($1,000,000 first holder to be in astronomy)
• George P. Mitchell Chair in Experimental Physics ($1,000,000 held by Fry)
• Stephen E. Harris Professorship in Quantum Optics ($600,000 held by Sokolov)
• George P. Mitchell Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Astronomy ($900,000)
• George P. Mitchell Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Astronomy Research Fund ($200,000)
• George P. Mitchell Lecture in Astronomy ($90,000)
• George P. Mitchell Astronomy Colloquium Series Fund ($100,000)
• George P. Mitchell Endowment for Family Travel for Faculty ($72,000)
• Herman F. and Minnie Bell Heep A&M-Austin days ($500,000)
• Chia-Lai Wong Memorial Fund ($13,900)
• Munnerlyn/Plass Departmental Enhancement Endowment ($1,000,000)
• Charles & Judy Munnerlyn Graduate Student Fellowships in Physics ($1,050,000)
• Robert and Marianne Hamm Undergraduate Scholarships in Physics ($50,000)
• Stephen Hawking's visit to the Mitchell Institute in 2003 ($200,000)
• Mitchell Institute conferences in 2004-2005 ($500,000)
• Giant Magellan Telescope (first mirror casting) ($1,250,000)
• Giant Magellan Telescope (first mirror polishing) ($500,000)
• Astronomy Advisory Panel October 2003 ($15,000)
• Mercury Dimer Spectroscopy ($5,000)
• Hawking Visit in 2003 (via President Gates's office) ($167,511)