$10 million Clements family gift secures university’s national security center future, expands student programs, and restores historic venue

The William P. Clements Foundation has committed $10 million to the University of Texas at Austin’s Clements Center for National Security, an endowment that secures the center’s long-term future, expands student programming, and funds a major venue upgrade on campus.

The Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin draws on the best insights of diplomatic and military history with the mission to train the next generation of national security leaders. Established in 2013 with the support of distinguished policymakers and scholars, the Clements Center is a nonpartisan research and policy center uniquely positioned in the Office of the President.

The Clements Center honors former Texas Governor Bill Clements and his leadership on national security during his service as Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1973-77.

Clements managed the Pentagon and helped guide American national security policy during a critical time.

He brought a deep appreciation for history to every aspect of his leadership, policies, and decision-making.

The announcement spotlights the four family officers who steer the foundation today: President Pauline Neuhoff, Vice President Nancy Clements Seay, Secretary Margaret Napier, and Treasurer George Seay III.

The gift locks in core operations so the center can focus on students rather than fundraising, while also renovating the Flawn Academic Center auditorium, soon to be renamed the William P. Clements Jr. Auditorium.

It will serve as a central home for Clements Center programming and broaden undergraduate engagement.

The funding also scales up competitive fellowships, immersive history trips, and study-abroad opportunities in London, Seoul, and the Baltics, meeting the surging demand from students.

At the center of this effort are the officers of the Clements Foundation.

Pauline Neuhoff helps set the foundation’s strategy and has been a spokesperson for family philanthropy in education.

Nancy Clements Seay is a longtime Dallas civic leader and a benefactor of cultural institutions, including the Dallas Arboretum.

Margaret Napier also leads her own charitable foundation while serving as secretary. George Seay III, a UT alumnus, is both the foundation’s treasurer and chair of the Clements Center’s Advisory Board, aligning family governance with academic strategy.

The broader vision reflects the center’s founding in 2013 as a nonpartisan hub for applied history and statecraft. Leaders emphasize that today’s volatile global environment underscores the urgency of training the next generation of national security leaders.

More than 1,000 alumni are already serving in military, government, academic, and private-sector roles.

The gift continues the family’s tradition of long-horizon philanthropy, following previous headline commitments such as a $10 million investment in Highland Park ISD.

Renovations and program expansion are already underway, ensuring the Clements Center will have the resources and reach to prepare Texas leaders to shape national security policy and bring a distinctly Texan perspective to the decision-making room.