Seton Hall Gets Near-Historic $5M Donation From Alum

South Orange, NJ – A Seton Hall University alumnus is set to make a $5 million donation to his former alma mater, one of the “largest in Seton Hall history,” school officials say.

According to university administrators, the donation from Patrick M. Murray - chair of the school’s Board of Regents – and his wife, Mary Ann Pfaff Murray, 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 A. Gabriel 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 Murrays’ 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, university administrators announced on Wednesday.

“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.”

According to school officials, the Murrays’ philanthropic support of Seton Hall has included 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., a manufacturer and marketer of equipment for the energy industry, in May of 2007. Previously, he was president of Halliburton Company’s Dresser Equipment Group from 1998 to 2000, and senior vice president of strategic initiatives for Dresser Industries 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, 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 Murrays currently reside in Dallas, Texas.

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Photo Caption: Patrick Murray