Southern University alums gift $1M to College of Business

Southern University alumni Mark and Dawn Malveaux today announced a $1 million gift to the Southern University College of Business. The gift will establish an endowed scholarship and name the Master of Business program in honor of the benefactors.

“Dawn and I owe so much not only to Southern University but also to the communities that nurtured us,” Mark Malveaux said. “This gift is a tribute to a great university and the people who have committed themselves to uplift, including my amazing economics professor, the late Dr. Fred Temple. The gift is also a recognition of our parents and those aunts and uncles who did not have the opportunity to complete high school. They sacrificed much for my generation and set an example of humble dignity.”

Mark Malveaux graduated magna cum laude from Southern with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1989. While at Southern, Malveaux was the first student in the University’s history awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. He was also named the “Outstanding Student in the College of Business.” He then attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1992. While in law school, Malveaux was also awarded the Bracewell and Patterson Oral Advocacy Award.

Upon graduation, he began his law practice at an international law firm. At the public finance firm of McCall, Parkhurst and Horton, he became the first Black partner at a nationally recognized public finance firm in Texas. An active angel investor, Malveaux is currently on the advisory board of technology firm Filtari and a significant investor in specialty pizza company Zalat Pizza. He is also on the board of directors for the $2 billion Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund.

Dawn Dillion Malveaux graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science in 1984. Dawn Malveaux is a third-generation Southern University alum with her late grandfather graduating in 1935. Upon graduation, she enjoyed a nearly 20-year career in computer science before devoting her time and energy to her two children, Jordan and Dillon. She is an active member of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and enjoyed her time as an active member of Jack and Jill of America.

“We are extremely grateful to the Malveaux family for this sizable gift to our College of Business and the students it continues to serve,” said Ray L. Belton, president-chancellor of the Southern University System. “This intentional gift is a shining example of how our alumni have a consistent appreciation and love for the university that shaped them. It is also a deep commitment to seeing that Southern can offer boundless opportunities to students for years to come.”

Alfred Harrell, Southern University System Foundation CEO, echoed Belton’s sentiments. "Mark and Dawn's gift to their alma mater provides strategic investment in an area of great need, directing sizable resources to talented students in our College of Business in perpetuity.", Harrell said.

Since its inception in 1937, the College of Business has evolved into one of the largest colleges at Southern University. Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the college maintains high standards of teaching, research, and services. More than 70 percent of the faculty members have terminal degrees; faculty members regularly publish in national journals and present papers at conferences.

The gift from the Malveaux family will be officially presented at the monthly meeting of the Southern University Board of Supervisors on May 21.