The University of Nevada, Reno received the largest gift in its 149-year history – $36 million … [+]
In the first two weeks of November, three research universities reported multimillion-dollar naming gifts for academic programs. Historic donations include $30 million to the University of South Carolina, $25 million to Carnegie Mellon University and $36 million to the University of Nevada, Reno.
University of South Carolina
Distinguished national trial attorney Joe Rice has given his alma mater, the University of South Carolina (USC), $30 million for its law school, which the university will rename the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.
The $30 million endowment will be used to create a student scholarship fund and at least four new endowed faculty positions. In addition, the gift will support students completing the Children’s Law concentration, enhance students’ careers and professional development, and fund other educational priorities at the law school.
“An investment of this magnitude is often described as transformational, but that word does not do justice to the far-reaching impact Joe Rice’s gift promises for the University of South Carolina,” said USC President Michael Amiridis. university announcement. “His extraordinary generosity is not only a sign of his continued dedication to his university, but also ensures the Law School’s rise as the home of the highest quality legal education and creates a stellar trajectory for USC’s future growth and national reputation.” .
“My alma mater is a huge part of my family’s history and success. It gives me great pride to directly impact the lives of his students. I hope this worthy cause will inspire and bring out the best in generations of future lawyers, while laying the foundation they will need to achieve great things,” Rice added.
Rice and his family have donated to the university for many years, including establishing the Ronald L. Motley Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Civil Litigation Education Program Fund and supporting the university’s Children’s Law Center.
Carnegie University Future
Carnegie Mellon Trustee Ray Lane and his wife, Stephanie, gave $25 million to support the university’s Department of Computational Biology, a nationally ranked unit that includes faculty in the biological sciences, computer science and statistics and data science.
In recognition of the gift, the university will name the Ray and Stephanie Lane Department of Computational Biology, making it the first named academic department at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
The gift will create an endowment to support department priorities and provide funding for the department’s new home in the Richard King Mellon Hall of Science.
“Ray and Stephanie Lane have been passionate advocates of the power and potential of computational biology since the department’s inception,” CMU President Farnam Yahanian said in a statement. Press release. “With their support, our researchers are making life-changing discoveries and creating life-saving treatments. I am deeply grateful for their investment in Carnegie Mellon University.”
The Lanes have been longtime supporters of Carnegie Mellon, with several previous gifts on behalf of its computational biology program. According to the university, the couple has supported computational biology faculty, postdoctoral researchers, more than 20 graduate student scholarships, as well as a computational biology high school program and other initiatives at Carnegie Mellon.
“From our first understanding of this fascinating and growing field, Stephanie and I have been excited by its promise to make discoveries that open new paths into the unknown, advance medical research, and cure diseases that affect people and families around the planet.” , said Ray Lane. he said. “Working with this extremely important department has been a pleasure. Watching the progress it has made over the past few years, including the real-world impact of its discoveries, has been incredibly rewarding, and we look forward to witnessing all that it will achieve in the coming years.” .
Ray Lane, who served as Carnegie Mellon’s board chairman from 2009-2015, began his career at IBM and later became president of Oracle. He has also served as executive chairman at Hewlett-Packard and managing partner at Kleiner Perkins. Currently, he is a managing partner at GreatPoint Ventures, a venture capital firm based in San Francisco.
University of Nevada, Reno
On November 1, the University of Nevada, Reno reported receiving the largest gift in its 149-year history – $36 million from the George W. Gillemot Foundation. As a result of the donation, the university said it will establish the George W. Gillemot Department of Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering. The university expects to award its first degrees in Aerospace Engineering in three to five years.
A portion of the gift will also be used to improve technology in the George W. Gillemot Dome at the university’s Fleischmann Planetarium and to provide fee waivers for students who visit the facility each year.
“The University is humbled and honored to be a part of fulfilling the legacy of George W. Gillemot and his vision to prepare outstanding aerospace engineers to meet the needs of the growing aerospace industry,” said University of Nevada President, Reno, Brian Sandoval. in the announcementst. “This landmark gift from the George W. Gillemot Foundation speaks to the strong commitment of Gillemot trustees to meet the needs of Nevada’s future as an investment in the success of the students, faculty and staff whose innovative work drives the next big chapter in the history of our state. This is a historic day for our University and the State of Nevada. The University is extremely grateful for this generous gift.”
George W. Gillemot, who died last December at the age of 96, was an engineer who developed, manufactured and patented products for telephone and communications companies. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University in 2000 for his long-standing support.
“George W. Gillemot was an aviator, inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and dreamer, as well as a lifelong learner,” said Tom Hall, trustee of the George W. Gillemot Foundation. “In September 2003, George proposed a new school of aviation and aerospace at the University of Nevada, Reno. This was to fulfill his passion for flight, but also to serve as a catalyst for learning, research, exploration, workforce development and economic renewal for Nevada. George was ahead of his time, and now, we are establishing the George W. Gillemot Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University, just as George had dreamed and intended.”
