Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School has received a $5 million gift from Aggie graduate and Aspire Commodities owner Adam Sinn, creating its largest endowed chair. The funds will be used to support students, faculty and staff in furthering the school’s mission to become the preeminent public business school in the country.
Created through the Texas A&M Foundation, this gift extends Sinn’s philanthropic support to Texas A&M to more than $51 million, including $26 million to Mays Business School.
“Adam Sinn is an outstanding Aggie who exemplifies the Aggie Spirit and our core values,” said Texas A&M University President M. Katherine Banks. “His deep commitment to the university is evident in all that he has done for the Mays Business School, Aggie Athletics and our campus. We are grateful for his generosity and investment in Texas A&M.”
The Adam Sinn ’00 Dean’s Leadership Chair is the fourth of its type at Texas A&M. His $5 million endowment matches the university’s largest faculty chair and creates the largest endowed chair at Mays Business School.
“With Adam’s latest gift to our school, every future Dean of Mays Business School will have the honor of holding the Adam C. Sinn ’00 Dean’s Leadership Chair,” said Mays Business School Dean Dr. Nate Sharp. “Adam’s passion for helping students and his love for Texas A&M University are unmatched. Simply put, Adam leads by example. He is not one to sit on the sidelines. Instead, Adam is actively helping to move Mays toward our aspiration of becoming the preeminent public business school in the country. I cannot thank Adam enough for his generosity.”
Creating a Legacy
Support from the commodities trader to the Mays Business School began in 2016 through a $1 million gift to the Texas A&M Foundation. Those funds created scholarships to support Mays students from Sinn’s hometown of Hoopeston, Illinois, and Dorado, Puerto Rico, where he currently lives.
In 2021, Sinn increased his philanthropic support through a $10 million gift designed to expand student support, enhance educational quality and build high-impact programs for finance undergraduate and graduate students. Additionally, these funds are being used to recruit top finance faculty. This generous gift resulted in the naming of the department as the Adam C. Sinn ’00 Department of Finance.
Sinn soon followed with a second gift of $10 million to the department. These funds provided additional scholarship support for students studying finance at Texas A&M and created the Adam C. Sinn ’00 Center for Investment Management. The Center will provide faculty with a venue for conducting groundbreaking research in all areas related to investment management and will provide students with real-world, hands-on experience investing, managing and growing investment portfolios.
Boosting Others Toward Success
Sinn said his commitment to supporting Mays Business School and Texas A&M is tied to his upbringing in Hoopeston, an agricultural community primarily made up of low-income workers. Influenced by his parents’ strong work ethic, Sinn said he was able to transcend his humble beginnings and go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in finance at Mays Business School.
A top trader in power and electricity, Sinn remains committed to giving back to Mays. “Through his financial support, Sinn is providing opportunities for the school’s students to fulfill their potential, and he is funding programs for faculty that will elevate Mays’ academic reputation,” said Dean Sharp.
“I was an average student while at Texas A&M, but like many other Aggies, I’ve been able to forge a successful career through hard work and determination,” Sinn said. “I want my gifts to be used to lay the foundation for students at Mays to acquire cutting-edge knowledge and skills so they can confidently bet on themselves throughout their lives.”
Courtesy of Texas A&M University Newswire
