Our view: Davis gift further proof of Texas Tech's momentum

There is something special happening at Texas Tech right now. The steady movement forward has been ongoing, but progress has been amplified in just the past few months.

Recently, it has been most noticeable on the philanthropic front, where consistent work in relationship building and vision casting continue to produce results. For proof, look back just a few days ago when the university announced the single largest donation in Tech history.

Lubbock businessman and former Texas Tech faculty member Gordon W. Davis and his wife, Joyce, presented the school with a staggering $44 million donation. The gift will further enhance and strengthen the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, which was renamed in Davis’ honor.

It makes sense to invest in agriculture, which has long been a significant economic driver in the region, just as it makes sense to invest in Texas Tech, which continues to train, equip and produce graduates to go out and make their marks upon the world.

Davis, who devoted a decade of his life as an associate professor in the college, saw firsthand how education could shape and influence agriculture, which rapidly continues to change as a result of cutting-edge research and technological advances.

The Davises’ gift will fund three areas within the college, according to information from Texas Tech. First is a $25 million endowment that will directly benefit the college with another $4 million to establish the Gordon and Joyce Davis Endowment for Excellence in Meat and Food Science. The other $15 million from the Gordon W. Davis estate will benefit future educational efforts with the college.

The Davises' generosity has not only been limited to Texas Tech. A month ago, West Texas A&M University in Canyon announced that Davis, founder of Lubbock-based CEV Multimedia, was donating $3.75 million to that school’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences to add two new department chairs.

“I think agriculture is a sleeping giant,” Davis said in our story. “We’re out here in West Texas – one of the great agriculture areas of the whole world. We have great alumni from all over the country, especially Texas, that love the college and love the education they got in agriculture at Texas Tech.”

We see a similar thread in other recently announced gifts to the school. Dustin Womble and his wife, Leisha, donated $20 million as the lead gift for a new football training facility. A couple of months later, Cody Campbell donated $25 million toward the south end zone project at Jones AT&T Stadium.

All three large gifts come from highly successful alumni who experienced firsthand how a Texas Tech education can change lives. As a result, they were motivated to return the favor and give back in a way that will make a difference.

This is not to downplay any other gifts. They don’t all receive the same attention, and sometimes that’s the preference of the donor. But they all have impact and meaning. Together, they send a signal of gathering momentum for Texas Tech University – academically and athletically.

“Why wouldn’t we want to do this and get it better and better and better,” Davis asked during his remarks earlier this week. “The sleeping giant gets realized and becomes one of the preeminent colleges of agricultural sciences in the world.”

That is no small goal, or as school officials sometimes say, no little dream. Regardless, the school’s national profile continues to grow. Texas Tech continues to move forward thanks to strong leadership and the relentless pursuit of excellence, which, in turn, attracts philanthropy on a grand scale from those who catch the vision and want to be a part of it.

“Gordon is about winning and excellence, and because of his success as a businessman, he made a very significant investment,” Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said in our story. “He laid out a very clear plan and vision for the excellence he wants us to strive for.”

The expectation at Tech, internally and externally, is to be exceptionally competitive across the board, whether that’s in the classroom, in the research lab, in a meat judging competition, or on the basketball court.

That’s the narrative people like Davis, Womble and Campbell have invested in – and one others will continue to connect with over time.

We salute the Davises for their marvelous example of generosity and extend our congratulations to Texas Tech on its continued philanthropic success.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Davis gift further proof of Texas Tech's momentum