Zebulun (Zeb) Nash, manager of ExxonMobil Chemical’s plant in Baytown, Texas, presented a check for $109,950 to UMR Chancellor John F. Carney III during the public launch of UMR’s Advancing Excellence Campaign April 19 on campus.         

Nash, who is a graduate of UMR, presented the check on behalf of ExxonMobil.         

ExxonMobil has a three-for-one matching program for donations to UMR. Nash and 35 other employees or retirees of the corporation contributed a combined $36,500 to the university in the past year. When ExxonMobil’s generous matching funds are included, the total amount donated through the program by the corporation and its employees adds up to more than $146,000 for 2006-2007.  

“ExxonMobil’s three-to-one matching gift program is one of the most generous programs of its type in the nation, and UMR is very fortunate to be able to reap the benefits of it,” says UMR Chancellor John F. Carney III. “We hope all UMR alumni who work at ExxonMobil will take advantage of this great opportunity to support UMR and truly maximize their gift.”     

UMR graduates with ties to ExxonMobil may contribute up to $7,500 per year under the matching program. Those contributions may then be directed to certain areas of need on campus by the individual donor. “Mine goes to the chemical engineering department,” says Nash, who graduated from UMR with a chemical engineering degree in 1972.         

Nash, who also earned a master’s of business administration degree at the University of Washington, has established the Georgia Mae Smith Nash Endowed Scholarship at UMR to help chemical engineering students, especially minorities. He is a past member of the UMR Board of Trustees and the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on African American Recruitment. In December of 2005, Nash delivered the commencement address at UMR.         

The goal of UMR’s Advancing Excellence Campaign is to raise $200 million for the university by 2010. The money will be invested in campus programs, faculty, students and facilities.         

Though the university publicly launched the campaign April 19, UMR has already raised more than $111 million toward the $200 million goal during a quiet phase of the fundraising effort. The donations come from alumni, corporations, foundations, faculty, staff and friends.