The Cowan-Novinski Foundation
A Home that Formed Generations.For more than seventy years, this home helped shape the intellectual and cultural life of the University of Dallas. Help us preserve it for future generations.
We need to secure $1,000,000 in commitments by November 30, 2026.
Every gift goes toward three things:
Gifts of every size matter. Give online, or write to us to talk about a lead gift and we will respond personally. We thank you for your support!
We welcome conversations with preservation, arts, and Catholic education funders, and with anyone who knew the Cowans and Novinskis.
Tell us what you’d like to hear as the campaign and restoration move forward.
Deadline Extended
The Cowan-Novinski home is under contract through November 30, 2026. To complete the purchase, the Foundation must secure $1 million in tax-deductible commitments.
Questions or founding gifts: thecowannovinskifoundation@gmail.com
All payments are contributions to The Catholic Foundation, a Texas non-profit corporation that is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and a public charity under sections 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and 509(a)(1) of the Code. The Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund is a fund owned by The Catholic Foundation. See our Questions for what happens if the campaign does not meet our funding goal. Please consult your tax advisor about the deductibility of any gift.
Just as surely as there is a genius loci embodied in that “university on a hill” to which the Cowans and Novinskis dedicated much of their lives, so there is a genius loci dwelling in this home where so many experienced and practiced the arts and responsibilities of friendship, hospitality and community.
First nurtured by Drs. Donald and Louise Cowan, and later by Professor Lyle and Mrs. Sybil Novinski, this home became one of the University’s most cherished gathering places — where meals became seminars and the life of the mind grew hand in hand with friendship in the shared pursuit of truth. The Foundation exists to keep it that way.
At the heart of the University of Dallas is the shared pursuit of truth—a pursuit advanced through the conversations that cultivate friendship, deepen understanding, and form authentic community.
The University’s mission has always flourished where intellectual inquiry is joined to generous hospitality and a shared desire to seek the true, the good, and the beautiful. For more than seventy years, Drs. Donald and Louise Cowan and Professor Lyle and Mrs. Sybil Novinski embodied this vision with extraordinary generosity. First the home of the Cowans and later the Novinski family, this home became far more than a residence; it became one of the great gathering places of the University—a place where students, faculty, alumni, and friends were always welcomed, where ideas were exchanged with joy, where meals became seminars, and where conversations about literature, philosophy, art, theology, and the enduring questions of human life continued long into the evening. Their remarkable hospitality reflected their conviction that the pursuit of truth is inseparable from friendship and that the deepest education often takes place around a table as much as in a classroom. Their lives gave tangible expression to the University’s highest ideals.
The Cowan-Novinski Foundation seeks to preserve this extraordinary home, not merely as a historic property, but as a living witness to the legacy of Drs. Donald and Louise Cowan and Professor Lyle and Mrs. Sybil Novinski. By preserving this place, we sustain a tradition of hospitality, intellectual fellowship, and faithful stewardship so that future generations may continue to encounter the distinctive spirit that has long defined the University of Dallas.
Our missionTo preserve the historic Cowan-Novinski home, honor the history, spirit, and legacy of their families’ contributions to the University of Dallas, and continue their tradition of gracious hospitality.
The University of Dallas opened in 1956. Within a few years, two couples arrived who would spend their working lives shaping it — and, in the process, shaped the people who came through it.
“It is important for us to persevere in this life by recalling the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ who have gone before us.”
Donald, a nuclear physicist, and Louise, a literary scholar, built the University’s core around the great books of the Western tradition. Louise taught at UD for fifty-three years; she died in 2015, and Donald in 2002.
Lyle, an artist, and Sybil, an administrator and historian, gave the University its art, its landscape, and much of its memory. Lyle died in 2023 and Sybil in 2025. They “raised five children and a university,” as Sybil’s obituary put it.
Learn more: UD remembers Lyle Novinski To Sybil, with Gratitude The Dr. Donald and Dr. Louise Cowan Center PaperCity: Louise Cowan, legendary Dallas teacher The Dallas Institute
Heidi was at a wedding shower for her oldest son, then a junior at UD, when she heard the Cowan-Novinski house was for sale. She stepped outside and called for reinforcements.
Kathy was in Greece with the UD summer program when Stefan Novinski mentioned that his siblings were preparing to list their parents’ house. Her first question: when can I see it?
Both had the same idea: keep the house as a center of community and conversation for the University of Dallas. A generous donor offered to finance the purchase and put it under contract — and within days, the Cowan-Novinski Foundation was born.
Flexible space for lectures, seminars and the work of visiting artists and scholars. The home can accommodate multiple purposes, depending on the season’s needs.
The central living area is made for lectures, salons, retreats, and exhibitions. The University of Dallas may book it for its own events, and members of the broader Catholic community may apply to host intimate gatherings of their own.
“Preserving the architectural treasure of Owenwood, and the spirit within it that enriched so many lives through the generous exchange of ideas about Faith, Art, and Culture…and the importance of strong coffee…would honor the dedicated love of our parents for both the University community and for the city of Irving.”
This is a mid-century house, and we will restore it with respect for its original design — keeping its character while making it ready for the people who will use it.
Our key restoration projects are bringing the bathrooms and the kitchen up to standard while retaining the original character of those spaces.
Plans, timelines, and progress updates are coming soon.
The Foundation is its own nonprofit, governed by a volunteer board and independent of the University of Dallas.
We are funded by gifts and grants — from preservation, arts, and Catholic education funders and from individual donors — rather than by the University’s budget.
A volunteer board brings together the Cowan and Novinski families, the University of Dallas and its alumni, and professionals in education, the liberal arts, real estate, property management, architecture, law, marketing, and nonprofit management. Two co-executive directors keep the work moving.
Director
Dr. Bainard Cowan, a 1970 graduate of the University of Dallas and the son of Dr. Donald and Dr. Louise Cowan, is Professor of Literature and holder of the Louise Cowan Chair at the University. He taught American and world literature at Louisiana State University for more than thirty years, where he co-founded the Comparative Literature Doctoral Program, before returning to UD in 2009. He holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Yale and is a fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.
Director
Bio coming soon.
Director
Stefan Novinski, a 1992 graduate of the University of Dallas and the son of Lyle and Sybil Novinski, is Professor of Drama at the University, where he teaches directing and theatre literature. A nationally recognized theatre director, he has directed at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and South Coast Repertory, and holds an MFA in Directing from the University of California, San Diego.
Director
Rebecca Sanford is the First Lady of the University of Dallas and assists her husband, Jonathan J. Sanford, in advancing the University’s mission and serving the University community. Rebecca has found her calling and life’s work in the vocations of marriage and motherhood. She and her husband have nine children and delight in their six grandchildren. Rebecca has been involved with parish music ministry and mothers’ ministries and has spoken on marriage and motherhood in a variety of settings. Rebecca earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Xavier University and has held several positions as a registered nurse. After moving to Irving, Texas in 2015, Rebecca was instrumental in the founding of Mighty Is Her Call, a ministry of mothers supporting mothers, and continues to serve as a member of the board.
Director
Randy Irlbeck, a 1986 University of Dallas graduate with a degree in physics, is Executive Vice President of Pillar Commercial, where he has helped lead the firm since its founding in 2004 and directs operations from asset management to acquisitions and project management. Before entering commercial real estate, he spent thirteen years in Rome overseeing the construction, and then the operations, of the University of Dallas’s campus there. He was a founding member of the University’s National Alumni Board and serves on the Board of Governors of Faustina Academy in Irving.
Director
Daniel Milligan, AIA, a 1991 University of Dallas graduate, is an architect with BRR Architects in Dallas. He has practiced and taught since 2002, including many years teaching the history of furniture and interior design at the University of Texas at Arlington. He continues to advise UD on projects in both Irving and Rome. A past president of the University’s National Alumni Board, he now serves on its Board of Trustees. His first love is mid-century housing and design, and he brings that eye to the care of the Cowan-Novinski home.
Co-Executive Director
Heidi Maher, a 1998 University of Dallas graduate with a degree in English, serves as the Foundation’s Co-Executive Director. Raised in Austin, she holds a Master of Public Administration from Texas Tech University and has spent twenty years in development for Catholic ministries across Dallas–Fort Worth. Heidi is a member of the Serra Club of Metropolitan Dallas and the Trinitarian Auxiliary of Holy Trinity Seminary, and a candidate for the Investiture Class of 2027 in the Order of Malta. She founded and directs the annual Adoration for Marriage and Family each June. She and her husband, Kevin, whom she met at UD, have six children, three of them current UD students.
Co-Executive Director
Kathy Milligan, a 1991 University of Dallas graduate with a BA in Economics and an MBA (1995) in Financial Services, serves as the Foundation’s Co-Executive Director. Kathy is a mortgage industry executive and consultant for some of Wall Street’s largest institutions. She has built companies from the ground up, managed turnarounds, and led complex M&A integrations. Kathy serves on the boards of CPLC, the culture of life ministry of the Diocese of Dallas; and In Loving Remembrance of Our Littlest Children, a memorial ministry to parents who have suffered the loss of a child prior to birth.
A Texas nonprofit organized to acquire and restore the historic home of Dr. Donald and Dr. Louise Cowan and Lyle and Sybil Novinski, and to make the home available as a place of gathering and hospitality for the University of Dallas community.
Foundational members of the University of Dallas community, whose teaching, art and hospitality shaped generations of students and colleagues. Read more about them in Builders of a University.
No. The Foundation is an independent nonprofit with its own volunteer board. Most or all of the inaugural board are alumni of the University, since this project was founded by alumni. We work closely with the University — hosting UD events and speakers — but we are not a University department or subsidiary, nor are we dependent on the University for funding.
The home is located in Irving, TX. We will announce more on the home’s location, and any plans for open houses, as the acquisition and restoration move forward.
Our aim is to preserve the essence of the home, which has always been one of hospitality and of intellectual and artistic pursuits. We intend to keep using the house as it was used in the past: for gatherings, shelter, an art studio, salons, and coffee time.
The house will include permanent and/or rotating historical exhibits related to the contributions of the Cowan and Novinski families to the development of UD’s Core Curriculum, and their nurturing of the intellectual and artistic communities at UD and in the greater DFW area.
The materials used to construct and decorate the house have a multitude of tie-ins to UD, Irving and Dallas history. Over time, we aim to document each of those throughout the house via a QR-based audio and visual tour.
The University of Dallas may book the gathering rooms for its own events. Members of the broader Catholic community may apply to host intimate private events, subject to board approval and consistency with the home’s mission. Write to us to inquire about a specific event.
Lectures, symposiums, salons, retreats, and art exhibitions — gatherings in keeping with the Cowans’ and Novinskis’ own tradition of conversation around the table.
The Catholic Foundation is a Dallas-based community foundation, established in 1955 and the longest-serving Catholic community foundation in the nation. It is a lay-led 501(c)(3) public charity, independent of the Diocese of Dallas, that helps donors and organizations, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, establish and manage charitable funds. While the Cowan-Novinski Foundation awaits its own 501(c)(3) determination, The Catholic Foundation holds and administers the Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund, which allows the campaign to receive tax-deductible gifts today.
The Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund is a fund owned by The Catholic Foundation, a Texas non-profit corporation that is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and a public charity under sections 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and 509(a)(1) of the Code. You can learn more at catholicfoundation.com.
Once the Cowan-Novinski Foundation receives its own 501(c)(3) designation, The Catholic Foundation will grant the entire balance of the fund to the Cowan-Novinski Foundation. Any gifts made to the fund after that will be passed along to the Cowan-Novinski Foundation until the fund can be wound down.
All payments are contributions to The Catholic Foundation, a Texas non-profit corporation that is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and a public charity under sections 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and 509(a)(1) of the Code. The Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund is a fund owned by The Catholic Foundation. Please consult your own tax advisor about your situation.
Gifts made through The Catholic Foundation are transferred to the Cowan-Novinski Foundation, which is solely responsible for refunds. If the acquisition does not succeed, the Cowan-Novinski Foundation will return gifts over $100 to the donor. Gifts of $100 or less will be divided equally between the Sybil Novinski Scholarship Fund and the Cowan-Shillingburg Scholarship at the University of Dallas.
You can give online at the Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund giving page. Gifts are made to the Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund at The Catholic Foundation. To discuss a lead gift or other ways of giving, write to thecowannovinskifoundation@gmail.com.
The Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund of The Catholic Foundation, located in Dallas, Texas, accepts gifts in a variety of forms, with an emphasis on those that can be used immediately. Stock and other property which can be easily liquidated are also options when considering your gifts. Please contact The Catholic Foundation at 972.661.9792 for details.
All donations should be made payable to The Catholic Foundation with reference to “The Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund.” All payments are contributions to The Catholic Foundation, a Texas non-profit corporation that is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and a public charity under sections 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and 509(a)(1) of the Code. Generally, contributions to it are deductible to the maximum extent permitted by section 170(b) of the Code. The Cowan-Novinski Foundation Fund is a fund owned by The Catholic Foundation.
Gifts to The Cowan-Novinski Fund of The Catholic Foundation can be directed in several ways:
Checks
Make checks payable to The Catholic Foundation, and please include The Cowan-Novinski Fund in the memo.
The Catholic Foundation
Attn: The Cowan-Novinski Fund
12222 Merit Drive, Suite 850
Dallas, TX 75251
Wire and ACH instructions
To make a gift via wire or ACH, please contact:
Brenda Lenzen, Chief Financial Officer
blenzen@catholicfoundation.com
972-661-9793
Stock transfers to The Catholic Foundation
National Financial Services
Account #RJL-081296
DTC# 0226
Contact name at Rockefeller: Hunter Kral, 972-761-5068
For any questions regarding stock transfers and to notify us of any upcoming stock transfer, please include the name of the security and number of shares that will be transferred, please contact:
Brenda Lenzen, Chief Financial Officer
blenzen@catholicfoundation.com
972-661-9793
Fund transfers at The Catholic Foundation
DonorLink is The Catholic Foundation’s password-protected interactive online program that will allow donors to view their funds and charitable giving at any time, and to request consideration of specific grants or distributions from their funds.
For more information or inquiries about any fund transfers or grant requests at The Catholic Foundation, please contact:
Mary Galvin, Senior Grant Processor and Donor Services
mgalvin@catholicfoundation.com
972-331-1633
By gifts from individuals and alumni and by grants from preservation, arts, and Catholic mission and education funders. The University of Dallas pays modest fees for the space it uses but does not fund the Foundation’s operations.
Write to us. We would like to hear from alumni, former students, friends of the families, and anyone who wants to help the home open its doors.
thecowannovinskifoundation@gmail.com
Questions, memories of the Cowans and Novinskis, ideas, introductions — all are welcome.