Our Donors

Our donors are an engaged, integral part of the Moody community whose gifts benefit the students, faculty and programs at the college. Their support amplifies our legacy and contributes to greater societal good.

Named in honor of the three “founding fathers” of the Moody College of Communication — Jesse Villarreal, Robert Schenkkan and DeWitt Carter Reddick — our giving societies recognize not only these three pioneers but also the contributions of our college’s most loyal supporters.

GIVE TODAY

DeWitt Carter Reddick Society

Dr. DeWitt Carter Reddick joined the University's journalism faculty in 1927, was named director of the School of Journalism in 1959 and became the first dean of the College of Communication in 1965. His vision set a course for the college that exists today. Reddick Society Fellows are donors who have contributed a cumulative total of at least $500,000.

Jessie Villareal Society

Dr. Jesse Villarreal, Chairman of the Department of Speech at the time of his retirement in 1968, was an early advocate for the formation of the College of Communication and co-wrote the original monograph providing the vision for the college. Villarreal Society Fellows are those donors that have contributed a cumulative total of at least $100,000.

Robert Schenkkan Society

Robert Schenkkan joined the University's College of Fine Arts in 1955 as Director of Radio and went on to found KUT-FM and KLRN-TV, Austin's PBS television station. He played a significant role in the inclusion of radio and television in the College of Communication. Schenkkan Society Fellows are those donors that have contributed a cumulative total of at least $50,000.

Your Impact

Moody College unveils major transformation of Walter Cronkite Plaza.

Richard and Leah Davis

This year, Moody College unveiled updates to Walter Cronkite Plaza, including grass turf and a pergola with a retractable shade so students, faculty and staff can mingle and study in the space between Communication Buildings A and B and the William Randolph Hearst Student Media building. The transformation is the result of a gift from Moody College alumnus Richard Davis and his wife Leah and has been designated as Aaron Lincoln Davis Square.

Elizabeth Carrow Woolfolk

This year, Moody College of Communication unveiled the new Woolfolk Center for Language Disorders Research, which aims to fundamentally change the way clinicians understand and treat language disorders by providing the first comprehensive, longitudinal database of diagnostic and prognostic features of language impairment in children and adults. The center was established through the estate of Elizabeth Carrow Woolfolk, a trailblazer in the field of communication and former head of the Moody College’s speech pathology and audiology program who died in 2022.

Jim and Mary Pat Nelson

In 2022, Moody College of Communication unveiled the new Nelson Center for Brand and Demand Analytics, which will offer a first-of-its-kind credentialing program in brand and demand analytics that will give advertising and public relations students the skills to compete in today’s job market. Generous benefactors Jim and Mary Pat Nelson gave $5 million to establish the center, which will offer certificates for both Moody College and other UT Austin students.