Matt Groening, Creator of 'The Simpsons,' Donates $500,000 for UCLA Chair

6:38 AM PST 2/14/2012 by THR staff

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The artist and innovator behind the long-running animated series is making a name for himself as a university benefactor.

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has given $500,000 toward the creation of a new chair at the University of California, Los Angeles, that bears his moniker.

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The Matt Groening Chair in Animation at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television will "allow visiting master artists to teach classes" and "bring working professionals with wide-ranging expertise" to work with students, the school said in an announcement.

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Groening, who graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, is committed, in a financial sense, to UCLA: he makes a yearly donation of $50,000 to help students who produce short -- and socially conscious -- animated films.

On Tuesday, Groening (subject of THR’s recent cover story) will receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His long-running, ground-breaking Fox series celebrates its 500th episode on Sunday.