Welcome to Fundraising Friday: AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
Texas Tech athletics has announced a $5 million gift from Dallas businessman and alum John Billingsley and his wife Harriett, earmarked specifically for the ongoing south end zone and Dustin R. Womble Football Center project. Texas Tech announced in recent months it had surpassed the $100 million mark in charitable contributions, a key fundraising goal as part of the roughly $242 million project. According to an athletic department release, the gift from Billingsley pushed Texas Tech over that mark in recent months as the athletics department now has $103 million raised as part of its largest athletic facility investment in school history. Texas Tech will name an iconic bell tower in the south end zone in honor of Billingsley and his contribution.
A $5 million commitment from former Rice University women’s basketball player Lynn Elsenhans and her husband John has made the vision of a new women's golf program at the school a reality. Elsenhans made it clear to Rice athletic director Tommy McClelland that she wanted her endowment to support women’s golf, which will begin competition during the 2026-27 academic year, according to The Rice Thresher student newspaper.
The University of Evansville has announced that Kyle and Ashley Freeland have contributed approximately $3 million to facilitate the establishment of a baseball clubhouse, which will be known as The Freeland Clubhouse. The Freeland’s philanthropic gesture, believed to be the largest gift in UE athletics history, will serve as the cornerstone for the initiation of the clubhouse project, a pivotal component of UE's comprehensive athletics strategic plan known as Pathway to Excellence.
Georgia Southern University athletics announced Tuesday that Paulson Stadium has a new title. The home of Georgia Southern football will officially be "Allen E. Paulson Stadium at Evans Family Field" after a $3 million donation from Brenna and RT Evans. The $3 million gift is the single largest donation in Georgia Southern athletics history.
Total amount of these gifts:
$16,000,000
