Francis Foundation Donates $2 Million to ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ’s Woody L. Hunt College of Business
Funds will support University’s first-ever endowed deanship
EL PASO, Texas (Sept. 19, 2024) – The Ginger G. and L. Frederick Francis Foundation announced today a $2 million gift to ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ (³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ) Woody L. Hunt College of Business to establish the Rick and Ginger Francis Endowed Deanship.
The Francis Endowed Deanship will ensure that permanent resources are available to retain and recruit talented leadership for the Hunt College of Business. The deanship will support leadership that advances ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ’s mission and the college’s goal of becoming the country’s top college for the study of US-Mexico trade and business.
“The Hunt College of Business has tremendous potential to impact the El Paso community over the long term with quality leadership,” said Rick Francis, Chairman and CEO of WestStar Bank. “Ginger and I are pleased to support excellence in leadership at ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ in perpetuity with this endowed deanship for the College of Business.”
“We want the best talent for El Paso, and I am grateful to Rick and Ginger for their generosity and vision to endow this deanship,” said ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ President Heather Wilson. “We are making the Woody L. Hunt College of Business even better and ensuring that it will be the leader in U.S.-Mexico business for the long term.”
John Hadjimarcou, Ph.D., will be the first person to hold the Francis Endowed Deanship. Hadjimarcou was named the dean of the Hunt College of Business in March of 2024 after serving as interim dean since August of 2023. He has worked as an assistant professor of marketing at ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ since 1994 and is a past recipient of the University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. The endowment will fund research, salary support and strategic initiatives that advance the mission of the college.
“This generous gift is not just an investment in the Hunt College of Business but also a commitment to the entire Paso del Norte Region,” Hadjimarcou said. “Our goal is to use this investment to provide innovative programs and a high-quality educational experience to support our students to become successful, ethical leaders who contribute to the economic development of our community.”
Rick and Ginger Francis are lifelong El Pasoans and noted philanthropists who support a wide range of health, culture, and educational initiatives throughout the community with their time, talent and resources. They established the Ginger G. and L. Frederick Francis Foundation in 2017 as part of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation to support nonprofit organizations and endeavors in the El Paso area. Rick Francis is Chairman and CEO of West Star Bank Holding Company, Inc. and Executive Chairman of West Star Bank. He has been a board member on several local business and hospital boards as well as the board of the Texas Tech University System. Ginger Francis is a chairwoman of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine’s Public Art Committee and past Chairwoman of the Board of the El Paso Museum of Art. In recognition of her charitable and community work, she was the recipient of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Awards.
About ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ
³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on September 23, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published September 23, 2024
By MC Staff ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Marketing and Communications
