Houston Baptist University announced it has received a $15 million gift from well-known Christian business executive Archie W. Dunham and his wife Linda. The gift represents the largest single gift in the University’s history and will fund scholarships, provide assistance for the Dunham Bible Museum, and result in the naming of the school of business.
HBU President Robert B. Sloan, Jr., announced the naming of the Archie W. Dunham College of Business. “We have long been blessed at HBU to be able to point our students to Archie and Linda Dunham as examples of the transforming power of Christian faith and Christian influence in the world,” said President Sloan. “It is now an added privilege to be able to point to the Archie W. Dunham College of Business as a further tangible expression of our gratitude to the Dunham family.”
The announcement was made at the May 12, 2015 meeting of the HBU Board of Trustees. “Archie and Linda Dunham represent everything we celebrate at HBU: Christian faith, character, service to others, generosity, and excellence in all the things that truly matter,” said Sloan. “Probably the best testimony to everything that Linda and Archie exemplify can be seen in their outstanding and faithful children and grandchildren.”
Archie W. Dunham is the Non-Executive Chairman of Chesapeake Energy. He served as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Conoco Inc., then as Chairman of ConocoPhillips, following the merger of Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Company. Previously, Archie served on the boards of Phelps Dodge Corporation, Pride International, DuPont, Louisiana Pacific Corporation, Union Pacific Corporation, Chase, and Consol Energy. He is also a member of the Deutsche Bank’s Americas Advisory Board. Dunham and his wife Linda are members of the HBU President’s Leadership Council, and they are active members of Second Baptist Church. The Dunhams’ son Cary is a 1993 graduate of HBU.
“Linda and I have observed the growth and positive impact on students of Houston Baptist University during the last nine years under Dr. Robert Sloan’s outstanding leadership,” said Dunham. “We believe that HBU is becoming one of America’s leading Christian Universities where integrity, ethics, and moral leadership are being taught to a new generation of future leaders. Linda and I are honored to be associated with the University.”
The Dunhams were recognized for their commitment to HBU with the President’s Lifetime Award at the Spirit of Excellence Gala in November 2014. They are past recipients of the Spirit of Excellence Award. They have supported a number of major on-campus projects that hold their name, including the Dunham Bible Museum, Dunham Theater, and Dunham Field for the University’s newly constructed football stadium.