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To celebrate the generosity and vision of Jane and Robert Cizik and their family, UTHealth proudly renames our nursing school the Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing. The Cizik’s transformational gift will establish endowed scholarships for well-qualified nursing students; endow chairs to recruit, reward and retain outstanding nursing faculty members; provide a research endowment offering a perpetual source of funding for conducting innovative research; and create a distinguished lecture series. UTHealth is honored to partner with the Cizik family to address an urgent need across the country for more skilled, compassionate nurses and to transform the lives of patients and the entire health care delivery system for years to come.
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Robert Cizik, UTHealth Development Board member from 1995 to 2010, chaired a successful $10 million fundraising campaign to build a new $57-million home for the nursing school at 6901 Bertner Ave. The building opened in 2004 and is the first educational facility of its kind in The University of Texas System to be LEED® Gold-certified for sustainability – a hallmark of energy efficiency and occupant comfort. As Patricia L. Starck, DSN, RN, FAAN, School of Nursing dean for more than 30 years, said at the grand opening, “The building showcases a philosophy that if we’re teaching about health, we’re also operating in a healthy way.”
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Robert Cizik holds degrees from the University of Connecticut and Harvard Business School, and is a U.S. Air Force veteran. He retired in 1996 as Chairman and CEO of Cooper Industries, a manufacturer of engines, turbines and compressors for the oil and natural gas industry, after 35 years. Under his watch, the company (later acquired by Eaton) skyrocketed in value from $60 million to $13 billion.
While at Cooper, Robert also initiated the company’s foundation and matching gifts program, allowing employees to direct its philanthropic giving. Through the program, he sought to instill in employees a desire to “give back to the community” at every level and all over the world. Cooper’s matching gifts program and foundation made charitable donations of $50 million from 1980 to 1995 with Robert’s leadership.
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Always a team, Jane and Robert Cizik give generously of their talents and treasure to many educational institutions and charitable organizations, including UTHealth, Harvard University, University of Houston and the University of Connecticut. Jane holds a lifetime membership with PARTNERS, the Cizik School of Nursing’s community support organization. A gift to the Hermann Eye Fund named the Robert Cizik Eye Clinic, where McGovern Medical School ophthalmologists practice. The Ciziks’ philanthropy also named the Jane Cizik Garden Place at the Women’s Home in Houston and the Jane Cizik Center at Citizens for Animal Protection. The Association of Fundraising Professionals, Houston Chapter, honored Jane and Robert on National Philanthropy Day in 1999 with its highest honor: the Maurice Hirsch Award in Philanthropy.
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The Cizik family name is synonymous with passion, devotion, and service to the people of Houston, Texas, and the United States. Jane and Robert Cizik have spent the majority of their lives in Houston, where they raised five children. After her youngest child began high school, Jane, a lifelong reader and learner, earned her college degree in the Honors College at the University of Houston. Her non-traditional route to college inspired her idea for The Great Conversation, the long running fundraising event benefiting the UH Honors College. The Ciziks now enjoy life with their children and grandchildren, who represent the future generations who will benefit from the training and education nurses will receive at the Cizik School of Nursing.
