Dell CEO Michael Dell and Dell Foundation Board Chair Susan Dell have become the University of Texas at Austin’s first-ever billion-dollar supporters. The Dell foundation announced a $750 million investment to establish the UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research and the UT Dell Medical Center in Austin. That brings Dell’s total support of the university to over a $1B total.
“The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation today announced that Michael and Susan Dell have become UT Austin’s first-ever billion-dollar supporters. In honor of the Dells’ new investment and their lifetime of generosity, the University is establishing the UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research and the UT Dell Medical Center to advance human health. Today’s new commitments also provide significant support for undergraduate student scholarships, student housing and UT’s Texas Advanced Computing Center, one of the nation’s leading supercomputing research centers.” – University of Texas at Austin
The Dell family was joined at the announcement by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the UT leadership group. Dell’s goal is to build a “the hospital of the future.” The medical center will focus on a patient-centered model that connects prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research through AI and advanced computing.
“Powered by the Dells’ generosity, the UT Dell Medical Center is poised to become a leading destination for care and research — leveraging UT’s research breadth, Austin’s technology ecosystem and Texas’ thriving economy.
The Dells’ investment represents one of the largest-ever philanthropic commitments to any U.S. university. Over many years, their support for UT — through scholarships, capital investments and program development — has expanded opportunities for students, strengthened research capacity, attracted top talent and reinforced Texas’ leadership in technology, AI and health innovation. Today’s new investments build on that foundation and take this work to an entirely new level.” – University of Texas at Austin
Dell famously attended Texas in the 1980s. His parents wanted him to become a doctor, so Dell enrolled in 1983 as a pre-med student. During his freshman year, he started his own business selling personal computer upgrade kits from his dorm, Room 2713 of at Dobie Center. He got a vendor license so he could bid on contracts for the State of Texas, winning bids by not having the overhead of a brick and mortal store.
The rest is history. Dell grew his business into one of the biggest computer companies in the world, uniquely not based in Silicon Valley, but in Austin. He currently ranks amoung the top 10 richest people in the world, with a net worth between and estimated $165 billion and $174 billion.
Dell says the project is designed to “turn ideas into reality” at the intersection of medicine, science and computing. He quoted to the University of Texas’ motto at the announcement, “What starts here changes the world.”
“UT Austin, where Dell Technologies was founded from a dorm room, has always been a place where bold ideas become real-world impact. What makes this moment so meaningful is the opportunity to build something that brings every part of the journey together — from how students learn, to how discoveries are made, to how care reaches families. By bringing together medicine, science and computing in one campus designed for the AI era, UT can create more opportunity, deliver better outcomes, and build a stronger future for communities across Texas and beyond.” – Michael and Susan Dell
UT has a stated broader goal of raising a total of $10 billion over the next ten years to rank among the nation’s top 10 medical centers. Officials said the university plans to break ground later this year, with 2030 as the targeted opening of the UT Dell Medical Center.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Michael Dell invests $1B to UT Austin to build ‘hospital of future’
Reporting by Trey Luerssen, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
