Giving

Graduate Excellence

Training outstanding future scholars in Jewish Studies is a crucial part of the Schusterman Center’s mission. The creation of graduate student fellowships to attract and support the very best candidates who want to work with our faculty is a key priority. Investing in graduate excellence strengthens the reputation of the Schusterman Center as a hub of Jewish Studies research and education. It also helps position UT as a leader in graduate education in Jewish Studies and enables UT to be at the forefront of training the next generation of university faculty in Jewish Studies.

Ways to support:

Distinguished Graduate Fellowship    
Presidential Graduate Fellowship     
Faculty Fellowship      
Graduate Fellowships    
Graduate Studies Excellence Fund   
 

Israel Studies

Since its founding, the Schusterman Center has had a significant focus on the study of and teaching about the Modern State of Israel in its regional context. The Schusterman Center is working to grow its efforts through securing new support for sustaining competitive undergraduate scholarships and graduate student fellowships for study of and in Israel, supporting faculty research, and for bringing prestigious visiting artists and scholars to the Forty Acres. Supporting Israel Studies at the Schusterman Center helps to sustain and grow this work as well as keep this important subject at the center of Jewish Studies at UT Austin.

Ways to support:

Chair   
Professorship   
Distinguished Graduate Fellowship     
Presidential Graduate Fellowship    
Faculty Fellowship   
Graduate Fellowships   
Undergraduate Scholarship   
Endowed Lecture Series   
Endowed Excellence Fund   
 

Holocaust Research & Education

Since September 2018, the Schusterman Center has been the home base of the Texas Holocaust Scholars Network, which connects researchers and educators across the state. The Schusterman Center has a unique opportunity to become a leader in Holocaust research and education in the Southwest. We intend to pursue this goal through competitive graduate student fellowships, hosting educational training events for secondary and university teachers, a prestigious visiting scholar and lecture program, enhanced resources for research and curriculum development, and endowed Chairs and Professorships in Holocaust Studies.

Ways to support:

Chair   
Professorship   
Endowed Lecture Series   
Endowed Excellence Fund   
 

Antisemitism Research & Education

Antisemitism has been increasing in Texas, the United States, and the World over the last few years. The Schusterman Center has served as a hub at UT Austin and throughout the Southwest for education and research on the history and cause of antisemitism through teaching undergraduate courses on the topic, hosting lectures and convening faculty roundtables on various aspects of antisemitism, and supporting faculty and student research. Investing in the Schusterman Center’s teaching and research on antisemitism will help to sustain this work and keep this important topic at the forefront of education at UT Austin.

Ways to support:

Chair   
Professorship   
Endowed Lecture Series   
Endowed Excellence Fund   
 

Yiddish Research & Education

The Yiddish Language and Culture program has been part of the Department of Germanic Studies at UT since the late 1970s. Since that time, the program has gained international recognition, graduating undergraduate and graduate students who have gone on to be significant Yiddish academic and cultural figures. It is the only Yiddish language program in the American Southwest and thus a regional center in a larger peer network of North America’s most prestigious universities—Harvard, University of Michigan, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Emory, University of Chicago, and University of Toronto, among others—maintaining a strong Yiddish program. The presence of strong Yiddish programs at UT Austin and at our very best peer institutions reflects a shared recognition that a strong Yiddish program is central to being a leader in the field of Jewish Studies. Recently, we have expanded the Yiddish Language and Culture program through offering online Yiddish instruction in collaboration with the Yiddish Book Center. This initiative is enabling UT to teach Yiddish to college students throughout the country. The Schusterman Center’s goal is to honor the significance of the Yiddish Language and Culture Program at UT Austin and secure its future by creating a strong endowment in Yiddish. A solid financial basis will allow UT Austin to recruit and retain the very best scholars in the field and strengthen UT Austin’s reputation as a center for excellence in research and teaching of Yiddish language and culture for the Southwest and beyond.

Ways to support:

Chair   
Professorship   
Endowed Excellence Fund   
 

Schusterman Center Director Chair

The Schusterman Center’s Director plays a central role in guiding and shaping in Jewish Studies at UT Austin. Establishing an endowed chair to support the work of the director will enable the growth and development of the Schusterman Center by providing further sustainable funds to support additional staff and programming costs.

Ways to support:

Center Leadership Chair  
 

Jewish Studies Chairs & Professorship

Established to support eminent faculty, endowed chairs are among the most impactful gifts a donor can make. Chair holders attract exceptional students and junior and senior faculty to Texas, stimulate significant research, and attract funding due to their expertise. Professorships are awarded to faculty members who have distinguished themselves as academic leaders and provide the support necessary for these promising scholars to remain at the forefront of their fields. In addition to chairs and professorship in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Antisemitism, and Yiddish, the Schusterman Center is also seeking to establish chairs and professorships in the following areas of Jewish Studies: Modern Jewish History, Ancient Judaism, Medieval Judaism, and Sephardic Studies.

Ways to support:

Chair   
Professorship   
 

Endowed Lecture Series

Lecture series bring leading scholars in Jewish Studies and Jewish cultural figures to the Forty Acres to enrich UT’s education and research missions. Establishing endowed lecture series enables the Schusterman Center to sustain existing programs and ensures that scholarly discussion on these important topics is at the center of the scholarly conversation at UT Austin. The following naming opportunities for lecture series exist at the Schusterman Center.

• Israel in Context
• Hebrew Arts and Culture
• Antisemitism
• Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• Ancient Judaism
• Jewish Life in the Americas
• Jews in the World of Islam
• Jewish Thought
• Jewish Studies

Ways to support:

Endowed Lecture Series   
 

Endowed Excellence Funds

Endowments support programs across campus — from interdisciplinary research collaborations to student internships. Program endowments can provide students with opportunities for hands-on learning, creative discovery, study abroad and leadership experiences, while excellence funds give the Schusterman Center’s director the flexibility to take UT’s Jewish Studies program to the top of the field.

Ways to support:

Endowed Excellence Fund   

Dean's Circle

The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies was created by an extraordinary $6 million challenge grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philantrophies of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2012, under the directorship of Dr. Robert H. Abzug, the challenge was met thanks to the Gale Foundation and numerous others donors whose gifts secured the Center’s future. 
The Schusterman Center honors and recognizes donors who make contributions towards the Center and its funding priorities by welcoming them into the Dean’s Circle.
The Dean’s Circle is a group of donors who provide critical support that allows the college to seize opportunities as it strives toward its goal of excellence in Liberal Arts.
All members will be invited to an annual Dean’s Circle event each fall. In addition, members are recognized on the Liberal Arts website and will receive periodic updates from the Dean.
All giving, to any area of the College, is counted toward Dean’s Circle membership. Gifts are recognized at the following membership levels:

• Gold ($20,000+)

• Silver ($10,000-19,999)

• Bronze ($2,500-9,999)

• Friend ($500-2,499)

How to Make a Gift

You can submit your gift online through our secure online web forms linked below or we welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person.

If you would like to send in your donation, please indicate on the check that you would like your donation directed to the Schusterman Center and mail it to:

University Development Office
1 University Station
Mail Stop A3000
Austin, TX 78712

For more details about these types of giving, including a full list of endowment areas, please see the College of Liberal Arts Alumni & Giving page.

You may also email changinglives@utexas.edu or call (512) 471-8861 to receive more information about giving programs and opportunities.