Howard Hughes' life was one of remarkable achievement. Like his numerous and exceptional successes, his philanthropy was neither modest nor ordinary. The creation of the medical institute that bears his name stands as one of his most enduring accomplishments. On December 17, 1953, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute was chartered in Delaware. Today, the Institute is one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations dedicated to the advancement of biomedical research and science education. The Institute employs more than 2,900 individuals and has an endowment of $17.5 billion.

Today, The Howard Hughes Corporation is cognizant of its special responsibility as a leading corporate citizen of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The company is actively engaged in programs and endeavors that enhance the quality of life within the Las Vegas valley, focusing its efforts in four areas: the environment, education, children and the arts.

THE ENVIRONMENT
The Howard Hughes Corporation recognizes its obligation to be a good steward of the environment, particularly in light of its vast land holdings in Southern Nevada. The company is proud of its stewardship, having carefully preserved and protected the beauty of the land for more than 40 years.

The Howard Hughes Corporation has demonstrated exceptional environmental leadership in many ways, including the company's significant role in the creation of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, as well as adopting the use of desert landscaping in Summerlin. Additionally, The Howard Hughes Corporation became a leader in the early 1990s for the establishment of a development fee to fund a Desert Tortoise Habitat that protected this endangered species threatened by the valley's extensive development.

The Howard Hughes Corporation also played an important role in addressing the control of dust and particulate matter created by construction and development in the Las Vegas Valley. In 2000, The Howard Hughes Corporation worked alongside the Clark County Commission to help develop and coordinate air quality control efforts in Southern Nevada.

The Howard Hughes Corporation was also a vital member of an industry coalition organized by the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association in early 2000 to create a self-imposed, fair and equitable system of dust control enforcement and to set acceptable standards. While the new regulations went into effect in January 2001, The Howard Hughes Corporation had been implementing dust control measures for years on construction projects in Summerlin.

THE ARTS
The Howard Hughes Corporation firmly believes the public display of art enhances the quality of life for all residents. The company maintains an extensive collection of public art representing more than a dozen local and national artists at its office buildings and land developments.

In 1997, The Howard Hughes Corporation donated a prime piece of property to Nevada Ballet Theatre for the construction of a dance center in Summerlin. Situated adjacent to the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center, the Donald W. Reynolds Cultural Center features seven state-of-the-art dance studios and now houses Nevada's only professional ballet company. The center was built with a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and brought Nevada Ballet Theatre's operations under one roof.

EDUCATION AND CHILDREN
More than two decades ago, when Summerlin only existed on paper, The Howard Hughes Corporation donated a 40-acre parcel of land to The Meadows School, one of the valley's finest private college preparatory schools. As the very first facility to be built in Summerlin, The Meadows School established a cornerstone of educational excellence in the community and underscores the variety of educational choice that exists in Summerlin today with 23 private and public schools offering more educational choice than any other community in the Las Vegas valley.

The Howard Hughes Corporation demonstrated its leadership role as one of Southern Nevada's most committed corporate citizens as the first donor to the Clark County Public Education Foundation with a contribution of $500,000 in the early 1990s. Part of this contribution funded a break-the-mold design for a new elementary school prototype.

The Howard Hughes Corporation provides considerable support to The Summerlin Children's Forum, an organization that awards scholarships and provides dozens of grants totaling more than $50,000 each year to Summerlin area schools. The grants fund special educational enhancement projects and activities that would otherwise not receive funding through Clark County School District.

Additionally, The Howard Hughes Corporation has made significant contributions to our state's higher education system. More than 30 years ago, Hughes contributed more than $6 million to the University of Nevada Reno to help fund the founding of the UNR School of Medicine. The company also contributed $2 million toward the enhancement of the Howard Hughes School of Engineering at UNLV. And Hughes, himself, made a personal contribution of $125,000 in 1968 to fund a feasibility study that led to the eventual establishment of the community college system in Nevada.