Robotics Revolution
When Bill Gurley invests, the world listens.
The first-of-its-kind program launches in Fall 2025 and will offer experiences in research, hands-on learning, and competitive activities. Demand is sky-high, with the program receiving more than 3,500 applications for an estimated 50 slots in the inaugural class.
“High school maker spaces are filled with some of the most intelligent and creative students in our country, captivated by the possibilities of robotics,” said Gurley, who earned an MBA from the McCombs School of Business. “Providing the financial resources to expand and strengthen Texas Robotics will ensure it attracts the most talented students — those with the greatest potential to become our nation’s future innovators and disruptors.”
“This gift will set us apart from other programs around the country by allowing us to attract top students and faculty in robotics, sustain one of the nation’s first undergraduate robotics honors programs, and bring cutting-edge equipment into our labs,” said Peter Stone, director of Texas Robotics.
Gurley’s $5 million matching gift, which establishes the Amy and Bill Gurley Endowment for Texas Robotics, provides 1:1 matches for other donors who make gifts that establish new endowments to support Texas Robotics. To find out more and join Bill Gurley in strengthening UT’s reputation as one of the world’s premier academic institutions for robotics, visit robotics.utexas.edu or reach out to Zak Richards, Chief Development Officer at College of Natural Sciences, at zrichards@austin.utexas.edu.
“Our state and our University have always been on the frontier of innovation with a shared goal to be the best. Bill’s gift drives that excellence.”
UT Interim President Jim Davis
The new undergraduate program in Texas Robotics joins and amplifies a brimming ecosystem, where researchers are developing robots that can assist nurses in hospitals, replace humans in hazardous environments, care for elderly or disabled people, provide physical therapy for patients. And revolutionary advances at UT in AI are poised to change everything once again, providing the next leap in applied and autonomous robotics.
The new undergraduate program in Texas Robotics joins and amplifies a brimming ecosystem, where researchers are developing robots that can assist nurses in hospitals, replace humans in hazardous environments, care for elderly or disabled people, provide physical therapy for patients recovering from strokes, and much more. And revolutionary advances at UT in AI are poised to change everything once again, providing the next leap in applied and autonomous robotics.
Texas Leader Magazine
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