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Rising to the Challenge 

SOM alums Chuck and Nancy Davidson pledge one million dollars toward new 
SOM building

A recent gift to The School of Management not only exemplifies the 
generous spirit of UTD alumni but also increases the momentum that has 
allowed the School to reach new milestones.

In July, SOM alums Chuck and Nancy Davidson pledged one million dollars 
over four years to support the construction of the new SOM building. The 
Davidsons' gift marks a milestone in that it is the first major alumni 
gift given for the new building. 

The School is proceeding toward groundbreaking for the facility in early 
2002, and completion is slated for 2003.

"The new building will pull together all the physical pieces of the School 
into a new home and help raise its local and national profile," the 
Davidsons said in a joint statement. "We hope that as the School's 
reputation continues to grow, it will continue to attract quality students 
and faculty. We also hope that this pledge will help inspire other alumni 
to consider the benefits they have reaped from their UTD degree and to 
give something back as well."

The Davidsons' pledge comes in response to a challenge initiated in 
November 2000. That's when the U.T. System Board of Regents approved a 
thirty million-dollar allocation to be applied toward the estimated 
thirty-eight million-dollar cost of the new facility. UTD must raise the 
remainder of the needed funds.

The Davidsons' ties to UTD and the School run deep. The couple met through 
friends when they were students at UTD. Mr. Davidson earned an SOM Master 
of Science degree in Management and Administrative Sciences in 1980. Mrs. 
Davidson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Public 
Administration in 1980. 

After marrying in 1981, the couple began a series of relocations around 
Texas and to Alaska and back as Mr. Davidson worked at various 
subsidiaries of Atlantic Ritchfield Co. He currently is chairman, 
president, and CEO of Noble Affiliates, Inc., a Houston-based independent 
oil and gas exploration and production company. He was chairman, 
president, and CEO of Vastar Resources, an energy company based in Houston 
that merged with BP, Inc. in 2000.

After graduating from UTD, Mrs. Davidson worked as a CPA and taught 
accounting at The University of Texas at Tyler, until a move coincided 
with the adoption of their son. She now devotes her time to her family and 
community.

A way to make UTD even better "UTD is a fine institution, and this is a 
way to make it even better," Mr. Davidson says.

The couple observe that, while many people do not think of giving to 
public institutions like UTD, "We believe that it is important to provide 
financial support beyond what the legislature will give. As UTD alumni, we 
have a strong interest in helping to improve the University."

In thanking the Davidson's for their generosity, SOM Dean Hasan Pirkul 
said, "With such continuing support from our alumni and our [SOM] advisory 
council, we are taking a major step toward our goal of becoming a leading 
national university and competing with schools that are better funded and 
twice as old as we are." 

The Davidsons hosted a recent alumni reception in Houston and plan to 
encourage other alumni to support the opportunity being offered their alma 
mater by the Regents.

For information on contributing to the SOM building effort, contact Dr. 
Diane McNulty, SOM's associate dean for external affairs, at 972-883-2741 
or dmcnulty@utdallas.edu; or Denise Ward, SOM's director of alumni 
relations, at 972-883-4114 or dward@utdallas.edu.