At the Heart of Giving

More than 36,000 individuals made gifts during the Rice: The Next Century Campaign. Although the areas of support and size of gifts varied, the reasons for giving were consistent among donors—a sense of responsibility to give back, a devotion to Rice and the community it serves, and a commitment to the advancement of education.

Dedicated Rice supporters Bob and Janice McNair, Burt and Deedee McMurtry, Lee and Joe Jamail, and individuals from Houston Endowment Inc. share their philosophies on philanthropy.

A responsibility to give back

For Burt and Deedee McMurtry, both class of ’56, their commitment to Rice runs deep. “We each had a great experience at Rice,” says Burt. “Rice was terrific. Rice was free. And it was important to us that it was free.”

Many alumni who attended Rice tuition-free feel a special desire to provide scholarship support to ensure that today’s students are not prohibited from attending Rice because of the cost of tuition.

“One of the first things we did when we had the ability to give something back was to set up scholarships in our parents’ names,” Burt says. “That’s been a very positive experience for us to see how the support helps and to get feedback from the students.”

Joe Nelson ’68, president of Houston Endowment, agrees. “I was fortunate to be a student in the last class to go through Rice tuition free,” he says. “So I’m pleased to give back by endowing two scholarships in my wife’s memory, one in music and one in women’s basketball.”

At the Heart of Giving - Deedee and Burt McMurtry