Kodosky Foundation Fulfills $1.5M Pledge To Mathworks At Texas State University

February 5, 2015 – San Marcos, TX

Jeff and Gail Kodosky of Austin have completed their $1.5M endowment match challenge to Mathworks, a center for mathematics education at Texas State University. The Kodoskys and their foundation made a $1.2M match challenge in November of 2010, along with a $300,000 outright gift. Mr. Kodosky said that the goal of their pledge was to spur long-term investments in workforce development, and encourage others in the high-tech community to help raise the bar of mathematics achievement of all students. The Kodosky donation will support the Mathworks endowment, enhance ongoing research and development of model programs in mathematics education, and provide opportunities to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Kodosky Foundation match challenge had a seven-year timeline. Thanks to numerous supporters, Mathworks has successfully raised endowment donations to complete the match ahead of schedule. Supporters of the Mathworks endowment include the RGK Foundation, the KLE Foundation, Sarah and Ernest Butler, the Siemens Foundation, and numerous Mathworks alumni, families, and friends.

As a center for mathematics education, Mathworks conducts research and development of summer programs for K-12 students, teacher training, and curriculum development. These programs impact middle school students, high school students, math teachers, and undergraduate and graduate students. Over the past 25 years, more than 8,000 students and 600 teachers have attended Mathworks summer math programs, with many of them attending on a scholarship funded by foundations and corporations. Mathworks provides early classroom math teaching experiences to undergraduate students, and research opportunities for Mathematics Education Ph.D. students. Proficiency in mathematics is strongly correlated with success in science and engineering, and Mathworks programs provide a model for how to develop the critical and creative thinking abilities of students of all ages, thereby opening more doors of opportunities for future degrees and careers.

Mathworks Director Max Warshauer, a professor in the mathematics department, said, “We thank Jeff and Gail for their wonderful gift that helped launch the Mathworks endowment, which will sustain and enhance our programs for years to come. They are an inspiration to us all as we continue to provide exciting mathematical opportunities for all students and work on related research about mathematics pedagogy and learning.”

For more information about Mathworks programs and its ongoing endowment campaign, please contact Mathworks at (512) 245-3626 or mathworks@txstate.edu, and visit www.txstate.edu/mathworks.