U.Va. Engineering School Reaches $50 Million Campaign Goal

January 12, 2000 -- The University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science has met its campaign goal of $50 million a year ahead of schedule and nine months after boosting its original goal from $37.5 million.

"We have exceeded our goal thanks to the wonderful generosity of engineering school alumni, foundations, corporate partners, and friends," said F. Hudnall Christopher Jr., a 1955 engineering school graduate and chairman of the fundraising campaign. "These gifts will clearly help build a foundation for our vision of what the Engineering School should be in the years ahead."

The gifts have enabled the Engineering School to strengthen its program in a number of ways, including the establishment of two distinguished professorships in engineering -- two faculty chairs endowed with $1 million or more -- according to Thomas N. Connors, the Engineering School’s vice president for development.

The contributions also will provide more scholarship support to undergraduate students. In particular, the school plans to expand the financial component of the Rodman Scholars program, an honors program for exceptional engineering students.

During the campaign, the school received commitments for several million-dollar-plus gifts from companies, foundations and individuals, including The Whitaker Foundation, Allied Signal Inc., IBM Corp., MCIWorldCom Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Massey Foundation, Linwood A. "Chip" Lacy Jr. of Richmond, Colgate W. Darden III of Lexington, S.C., A. Thomas Young of Potomac, Md., and a generous anonymous donor.

Contributions to the Engineering School’s campaign count in the Campaign for the University of Virginia, which in December passed its $1 billion fund-raising goal, a year ahead of schedule.

"This $50 million allows us to meet basic needs that were identified in the early 1990s," said Engineering School Dean Richard W. Miksad. "But the world keeps changing. To move the school forward, we must anticipate the future needs of our students. So we will continue to work with alumni, faculty, corporate partners and others to pursue excellence in our focus areas and throughout the school."

New funding is being sought in several areas, in particular, strengthening endowments for student and faculty support. U.Va.’s Engineering School competes with the country’s other top universities for talented students, both undergraduate and graduate, and for teaching and research faculty.

The school also plans to strengthen its information technology programs with the construction of a new building and hiring of new faculty to help meet the strong demand for computer science classes, not just for engineering students but for students throughout the University.

Founded in 1836, U.Va.'s School of Engineering and Applied Science offers a diverse program in engineering education, with special focus areas in information technology, technology in medicine, advanced materials, and microelectronics and semiconductors.

For more information about the Engineering School campaign, call Tom Connors at (804) 924-7509.

Contact: Charlotte Crystal, (804) 924-6858

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: please contact the Office of University Relations at (804) 924-7116. Television reporters should contact the TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.
SOURCE: U.Va. News Services

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