Money where the mouth is

This story describes the gifts that Dole owner David Murdock has made to the University of North Carolina. If I am reading the story right, Murdock has pledged about $1 billion to the campus. From the story:

Billionaire David Murdock will fund the creation of new professorships at North Carolina State University with a $2 million gift.

That gift will be matched by a $1 million grant from the North Carolina Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund.

The $3 million will be used to create three endowed professorships named after Murdock, who is building the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. Murdock is also the owner of Dole Food Company and is investing more than $1 billion in the research project.

The new faculty will work in Kannapolis and will be part of NCSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The positions are expected to be filled in time for the 2008-2009 school year.

NCSU is establishing a Fruit and Vegetable Science Institute as part of the mammoth Murdock project. The 100,000 square foot building is under construction and is expected to open on Aug. 1.

"Nothing is more exciting that having the knowledge of how to accomplish the things you want to accomplish,” Murdock said during a ceremony announcing the gifts.

Murdock is a tireless advocate of improved health through nutritional food.

The Research Campus also has partnerships with N.C. A&T, UNC-CH, Duke, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro and N.C. Central.


TK: Perhaps more than any person in the U.S. produce industry, Murdock is a believer in fruits and vegetables. His investment at UNC shows that he wants his legacy to show just that.