From Seton Hall University:
Patrick M. Murray, a Seton Hall University alumnus and chair of its Board of Regents, and his wife Mary Ann Pfaff Murray have made a $5 million dollar gift commitment to the University – the largest donation since President A. Gabriel Esteban was appointed and one of the largest in Seton Hall history.
The donation will be used to establish merit and need-based scholarships for students, to endow a faculty chair in the Stillman School of Business, and to fund renovations to athletic facilities.
“Pat and Mary Ann are two of Seton Hall’s most loyal supporters and their generous gift will have a tremendous impact on the University and our students,” said President Esteban. “As the chairman of our Board of Regents, Pat has provided strong leadership and this significant gift clearly demonstrates his support for the future direction of the University.”
To recognize the Murray’s long-time support of Seton Hall, the scholarship program, the endowed faculty chair in business, and the Leadership Forum for Student-Athletes will be named in their honor. The annual leadership forum brings together student-athletes with a distinguished panel of successful professionals from a wide variety of career fields to discuss strategies for success after graduating from college.
“Mary Ann and I are proud to support Seton Hall at this critical time in the University’s history,” said Pat Murray. “Seton Hall has made great strides in recent years in achieving its goal of becoming one of the nation’s leading Catholic universities. With the coming addition of a new medical school and a new College of Communication and the Arts, Seton Hall will rise even further.”
The Murray’s long-term philanthropic support of Seton Hall has included significant gifts to the Science and Technology Center construction project, planned expansion and renovation of the University Center, Seton Hall’s athletics program and the Seton Hall Annual Fund.
Pat Murray retired as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Dresser, Inc., in May 2007. Dresser is a leading manufacturer and marketer of highly engineered equipment for the energy industry. Previously, he was President of Halliburton Company’s Dresser Equipment Group from 1998 to 2000 and Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, of Dresser Industries, Inc., in 1997.
In addition to serving as chairman of the Seton Hall Board of Regents, Murray is also a member of the Board of Directors of Harvest Natural Resources, Inc., an independent exploration and production company, and a member of the Board of Advisors of McGuire Energy Institute of Southern Methodist University. He previously served on the board of Precision Drilling Corporation, Wellstream International and Rancher Energy Corporation and was a senior advisor to White Deer Energy. He also is a past chairman of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. The Murray’s currently reside in Dallas.
Pat Murray holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Seton Hall University.
ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been developing students in mind, heart and spirit since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 rigorous majors, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.
Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. In recent years, the University has achieved extraordinary success. Since 2009, the University has seen record-breaking undergraduate enrollment growth in addition to an impressive 95-point increase in the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. In the past decade, Seton Hall students and alumni have been awarded nearly 20 Fulbright Scholarships as well as other prestigious academic honors including a Rhodes Scholar. In the past five years, the University has invested more than $134 million in new campus buildings and renovations. And in 2015, Seton Hall announced plans for a new School of Medicine as well as launched a new College of Communication and the Arts.
A founding member of the new Big East Conference, the Seton Hall Pirates field 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports teams. The University’s beautiful main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles from New York City – offering its students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The University’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. For more information, visit www.shu.edu.
