Business school gets gift
$400,000 to go for research fellowships

By Jillanne Johnson
Staff Reporter

The M.J. Neeley School of Business received a $400,000 endowment for two research fellowships from the Theodore and Beulah Beasley Foundation to commemorate Theodore’s 100th birthday.

Theodore Beasley made his fortune in Dallas as the founder and chair of Republic National Life Insurance. He served on the TCU Board of Trustees for 25 years. He personally gave $650,000 to the Brite Divinity School for scholarships given to students affiliated with the Disciples of Christ and various building projects on campus.

TCU received a majority of Beasley’s support because it is a local college said Sam Dashefsky, executive director and treasurer of the foundation.

During the fall, Dashefsky worked with Dennis Alexander, the university’s leadership gift liason to the foundation, to find a way to commemorate Beasley’s birthday.

“Beasley would have been 100 in 2000; this seemed like a fitting tribute to him, being that he was a business man and very involved in insurance,” Dashefsky said.The business school does not offer any classes in insurance, however, the Theodore Beasley Fellowships will support research projects concerning the finance industry’s impact on the insurance field.

This type of gift will not only help the reputation of the business school but also allows professors to build their national reputation said Joe Lipscomb, chairman of the finance and decision sciences department. Having professors with high national reputations helps the university to gain national recognition, he said.

“If you follow the chancellor’s logic, universities build their reputation through their professional schools,” Lipscomb said. “Business schools build their reputation through their MBA program and finance is very important to that.”

Lipscomb said about 40 percent of undergraduate business degrees are in finance and 60 percent or more of MBAs concentrate in finance.

This is not the first time Beasley’s birthday has been honored on campus. Beasley’s second wife, Mary, established the Mary Evans Beasley Endowment Fund for Campus Beautification in 1987. The revenue from this $450,000 endowment continues to maintain the grounds around campus, from the rotating flower beds to the constant watering of the grass.

The first of the fellowships will be announced this spring and will be available for professors who exhibit a commitment to the business school’s mission.

Jillanne Johnson
j.johnson@student.tcu.edu