Kelcy Warren Honors a Former Mentor Through UTA Giving
Kelcy Warren Honors a Former Mentor Through UTA Giving
Behind many successful careers stands a teacher who made an early impression. For Kelcy Warren, that person was Syed Qasim, a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. Warren later established a graduate student fellowship at UTA in Qasim’s honor.
The fellowship was one of 10 gifts Warren made to the university over 25 years, totaling $4 million. Other gifts supported Texas Tier One research initiatives and the Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholarship.
A Graduate Who Kept Coming Back
Kelcy Warren graduated from UTA in 1978. He went on to found Energy Transfer, now one of the largest and most diversified energy companies in North America, with more than 130,000 miles of pipeline and related infrastructure in 44 states. He serves as its executive chairman.
In 2023 he returned to his alma mater with a $12 million gift, the largest single donation the university had ever received. UTA said the donation would help push the school “to the forefront of the growing resource and energy engineering (REE) field.”
Warren spoke about the gift in personal terms. “I am honored to give back to the institution that has played such a pivotal role in advancing my educational and professional journeys,” he said.
Teaching the Next Generation
The REE program is designed to prepare engineers who can manage energy resources. Warren pointed to a statewide demand for such workers, saying Texas “faces a critical need for highly skilled graduates” in this area.
That focus on students echoes the fellowship he created years earlier. Both efforts invest in people at the start of their professional lives, much as a mentor once invested in him.
Kelcy Warren also sits on the University of Texas System Board of Regents, a post Governor Greg Abbott appointed him to through 2025. Beyond higher education, Kelcy Warren supports schools from grade school onward, along with MD Anderson Cancer Center, the March of Dimes, and the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center. See related link for additional information.
Find more information about Kelcy Warren on https://www.hartenergy.com/hall-fame/2023/kelcy-warren/