$7M gift supports health research, engineering and athletics at UT San Antonio

(Press-News.org) The University of Texas at San Antonio has received a $7 million gift commitment from longtime philanthropic supporter and former AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre and his wife Linda Whitacre to advance research, student success and athletics.

The Whitacres have made a transformational $5 million commitment to honor the late William L. Henrich, MD, former president of UT Health San Antonio, whose visionary leadership and unwavering compassion shaped the university for more than a decade.

The gift will advance the institution’s nationally recognized expertise in metabolic health — an area of research and clinical care that includes diabetes, obesity and related conditions that profoundly affect longevity and quality of life. This investment will fuel groundbreaking discovery aimed at confronting the region’s diabetes crisis, where one in six South Texans lives with the disease, and will further strengthen UT Health San Antonio’s role as a leader in improving health outcomes for the communities it serves.

An additional $2 million commitment from the Whitacres will support the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and UTSA Athletics.

The college will use the gift to enhance its student success initiatives and grow the Whitacre Family Engineering and Integrated Design Student Success Center Endowment, established by the couple in 2024.

UTSA Athletics will leverage the gift to meet emerging needs, from enhancing student-athlete scholarships and student services to fueling critical initiatives like the Bold Champions campaign.

“We are profoundly grateful to Ed and Linda Whitacre for their longstanding vision and support of our institution. Their incredible generosity reflects pride in our newly merged university, belief in the transformative experiences we provide students, and their advocacy for the university’s health research and clinical enterprises as exemplified by the late President Bill Henrich’s resolute focus on making lives better,” said UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy. “These gifts reinforce the united power of higher education and healthcare, advancing our mission to make lives better across the communities we serve. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.”

The Whitacres’ commitment to the university’s healthcare enterprise has been transformative.

In 2020, the Whitacres generously supported the construction of the new UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, establishing the Ed and Linda Whitacre Clinical Diagnostic Unit, a state-of-the-art space that enhances precision care and clinical innovation.

“Ed and Linda Whitacre are extraordinary friends of our university,” said Francisco Cigarroa, MD, senior executive vice president for Health Affairs and Health System. “Their generosity strengthens us in the most meaningful ways, including advancing how we care for patients, enriching how we educate future health professionals, and accelerating discoveries that bring hope to families across South Texas. Their gift toward metabolic health research is a visionary extension of their commitment to improving lives through science, compassion and exceptional quality.”

Carolina Solis-Herrera, MD, Division Chief of Endocrinology, serves as the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Diabetes and will also serve as the inaugural Ed and Linda Whitacre Distinguished Endowed University Chair for Endocrinology, Diabetes Care and Research.

“We are profoundly grateful to Edward and Linda Whitacre for their loving, heartfelt and unwavering belief in our mission,” Solis-Herrera said. “This remarkable seeding gift fuels our determination to push the boundaries of discovery — to pursue bold, innovative therapies and ultimately a cure for diabetes.

“At a time when Texas faces some of the highest diabetes rates in the nation, their transformative generosity empowers us to bring hope, healing and life-changing progress to the countless families and communities who need it most.”

The Whitacres’ support of academics and athletics has also had a lasting impact. In 2013, they created the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. Chair in Mechanics and supported major athletics facilities improvements. The couple made another critical contribution in 2019 that enabled the Klesse College to purchase a metal 3D printer for its Makerspace.

Later that year, they committed a gift toward the construction of the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence. And in 2023, they established the Whitacre Family Engineering and Integrated Design Student Success Center Endowment, in addition to supporting construction for a new basketball and volleyball training facility.

“We are incredibly thankful for Ed and Linda’s commitment to helping students,” said Eric Brey, the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. Endowed Chair in Mechanics and dean of the Klesse College. “Their generous gift supports success initiatives in all of our academic units, and the expanding support for the Student Success Center endowment ensures that generations of students will benefit from opportunities that prepare them to thrive in their future careers.”

In the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics, the Whitacres’ support also comes at a pivotal moment in providing flexible resources to address emerging priorities and strengthen UTSA Athletics.

“The Whitacres’ generosity represents a transformative investment in the future of our sports programs,” said Lisa Campos, UT San Antonio vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics. “Their commitment will strengthen our programs and enrich the student-athlete experience. This gift reaffirms their belief that athletics is a vital part of a university’s growth, uniting our community and strengthening Roadrunner pride.”

Across the university, including UT Health San Antonio, the Whitacres’ continuous investment in UT San Antonio demonstrates how philanthropy can advance education, discovery and health to the great benefit of our university community — and to the people of San Antonio, South Texas and all of Texas.

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