BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Leo Potishman Foundation has pledged a $2 million gift for the construction and development of Texas A&M-Fort Worth.
John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, welcomed the donation as a sign of the continued support of Fort Worth institutions and residents for the research campus now under construction in southeast downtown.
“Fort Worth and the Texas A&M System are a natural fit,” said Chancellor Sharp. “The community’s support for the new campus is surpassing our expectations, and we look forward to helping boost the local and regional economy.”
Potishman, who died in 1981, was a longtime Fort Worth businessman and philanthropist whose foundation continues to support local arts, education and community institutions.
Texas A&M-Fort Worth will anchor a technology and innovation district the city is planning for the area around the convention center, which is in the process of being renovated and expanded.
The campus will provide a Tier One backbone of research and education, coupled with a diverse range of innovative educational, workforce development, research, technology and service programs offered by Texas A&M University, Tarleton State University, the Texas A&M School of Law, and Texas A&M engineering, agriculture, emergency management and health sciences, among others.
Last year the Texas A&M System broke ground on the eight-story, almost $200 million Law & Education Building, to house key education components. A topping out ceremony celebrating placement of the final beam is planned for later this year.
In August, the Board of Regents authorized the design of Research & Innovation Building A, which will be the primary home for A&M System agencies on the campus and is expected to cost up to $260 million – including 150,000 gross-square-feet of offices and lab space for the A&M System at an estimated cost of $150 million. Further space will be for private sector partners as well as parking for campus tenants and the public.
In September, the Fort Worth City Council authorized spending up to $18 million for design of Research & Building A. Longer-range plans include future expansion into Research & Innovation Building B. Also, the existing law school building will eventually be replaced with a multi-purpose community building called the Gateway Building.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $7.3 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, Texas A&M-Fort Worth and Texas A&M-RELLIS, the Texas A&M System educates more than 157,000 students and makes more than 21 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion and help drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
[email protected]