Welcome to the Marine Science Institute’s Development web page.  I hope that you will learn about the many ways our alumni and friends support the Institute, and the wonderful benefits our students, faculty, and programs derive from your generosity.  These pages provide helpful information about giving opportunities at MSI, and information on how to contact the development office, so that we may assist you in making a gift to the Marine Science Institute. 

As state dollars continue to dwindle, private giving becomes the deciding factor in the ever-higher level of excellence that is our Institute’s standard.  Your gifts help us maintain and enhance our status as one of the premier marine science institutions in this nation and the world. These gifts help build world-class laboratories, cutting-edge research and educational programs, and excellent outreach programs for the public. 

The Marine Science Institute is an Organized Research Unit of the College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin.  The Development Office for the Institute is located on the UT Austin campus in the Will C. Hogg Building. There is also a satellite office in the Administration Building at the Marine Science Institute’s Port Aransas campus.  As the official fundraising arm of the Institute, we facilitate estate planning and the donation of many different kinds of gifts, from all the Institute’s supporters, including our alumni, friends, corporations, foundations, faculty, staff, and students.  I am looking forward to working with you. 

Mary Anderson Abell
Director of Development
UT Marine Science Institute
Phone: (512) 232-1071
E-Mail: m.abell@mail.utexas.edu

Students

Undergraduate and graduate student support is highly valued by the Marine Science Institute. Private funding helps the Institute attract and retain students as well as enhance their educational experience. The University of Texas Marine Science Institute faces many worthy competitor institutions in the bid for the best and brightest students. To compete effectively, MSI must actively promote its marine science programs to prospective students, and must offer them attractive scholarships and fellowships. Once a student has chosen MSI, the Institute strives to enhance student educational experiences by providing professional development opportunities and challenging research projects. The goal is to provide exceptional and broad educational experiences for our students and prepare them to be future leaders in their professions.

Faculty

The strength of an academic research institution rests upon the talent of its faculty who are the inspiration of the University. As with students, the Marine Science Institute must compete with other leading institutions to attract and keep the best faculty. Faculty seek out institutions that are best prepared to help them reach professional goals and where they are most likely to connect with other leading researchers and educators. The Institute boasts an outstanding faculty. You can help ensure that we continue to recruit, retain, and honor these extraordinary individuals through an investment in an endowed faculty position. 

Programs and Research

 The Marine Science Institute is committed to provide an excellent research-enriched education in marine science that fosters student success; to discover important new knowledge at the forefront of marine science through research; and to create an intellectually and scientifically enriched environment that contributes to the economic and technological development of Texas and beyond. Our program and research initiatives include areas such as physiology, biochemistry and ecology of marine plants and animals; dynamics of marine ecosystems; biogeochemistry; mariculture; toxicology; and environmental monitoring.  The Institute is also committed to offering excellent outreach programs to the community through our Marine Education Service. The Visiting Class program brings more than 9,000 students to the Institute annually and over 1,000 ELDERHOSTEL participants.  An additional 30,000 visitors tour the aquaria and exhibits at the Visitors Center.  In the near future, the Wetland Education Center will be open and this will expand our outreach capabilities with hands-on learning activities for K-6 school children.

Facilities

Research institutions of the first class, such as the Marine Science Institute, require first-rate physical facilities and instrumentation for quality instruction and research investigations. Just as world-class faculty are the lifeblood of an institution, the facilities in which they operate have a profound effect on their ability to achieve excellence in research and teaching. Some of the largest challenges facing the Institute are providing space for growth, renovating aging facilities, and equipping laboratories with the latest tools. Private gifts can support the acquisition of research instrumentation and equipment, laboratory or classroom renovation, and even new facility construction.

General Excellence Funds

General excellence funds provide the director of the Institute the means to address ever-changing needs, demands, and opportunities. Excellence funds provide the discretionary dollars to meet these challenges and take advantage of opportunities.

Excellence funds under the direction of the Institute’s director, can address for example, unscheduled equipment repairs. If a critical piece of equipment malfunctions such as a freezer, a researcher’s samples can be destroyed if the repair is not made in time, or if the equipment is not properly maintained. Another example where excellence funding can help is for faculty development and research support. Attendance for professional conferences is often an unbudgeted expense due to limited dollars. Sometimes a small amount of $1,000 is all that is needed for faculty to pay the registration fee for a research conference.

Every year the Institute works to recruit and retain world-class faculty and students to enhance research and teaching. Excellence funds can provide coverage of critical expenses such as candidate travel and recruiting receptions. The College can maintain its competitive edge with the assistance of these valuable resources.

To make a gift or to set up an endowment, please contact Mary Abell in the Marine Science Institute’s Development Office, 1-512-232-1071, or email:  m.abell@mail.utexas.edu.  We’ll work together to reach your philanthropic goals.