Two gifts totaling $10M advance Michigan Engineering
By Neal Lao
College of Engineering
Michigan Engineering alumni Jerry W. Levin and Kevin O’Connor
have pledged two gifts totaling $10 million to the College of Engineering
(CoE) and have agreed to serve as co-chairs of its upcoming Anniversary
Campaign.
A portion of Levin’s $5 million pledge will be used as a challenge
to encourage additional gifts to the Michigan Engineering Fund,
which calls upon the college’s wide alumni base to provide
flexible support for programs and student resources. O’Connor’s
$5 million gift will go toward a new building on North Campus to
house the college’s growing computer science program.
Levin is chairman and CEO of Sunbeam Corp. He earned bachelor of
science in engineering (BSE) degrees from CoE in 1966 (electrical
engineering) and 1967 (engineering math). In 1998, he and his wife
endowed the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering.
He has been a member of the CoE's National Advisory Committee since
1993.
"Michigan Engineering has some of the most
talented and successful alumni in the world,"
Levin says. "My hope is that this gift will inspire
other alumni to step forward and contribute to the
future success of the college."
O'Connor is the co-founder, chairman and
former CEO of the online marketing company
DoubleClick Inc. He earned his BSE degree in electrical
engineering from U-M in 1983. In 1999, O'Connor
and his wife established the Kevin and Nancy
O'Connor Professor of Computer Science. A year later, he
endowed the O'Connor Scholarship and delivered the keynote address at the CoE's spring graduation
ceremony.
"The education that I received at the University
of Michigan has meant a lot to me," O'Connor says.
"The computer science program has flourished
in the last few years, and I am very pleased to help
provide for its future growth."
According to Stephen W. Director, the Robert
J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, these two gifts,
along with an earlier pledge of $25 million by
Chicago-based philanthropist Ann Lurie, set an
important tone for the college's upcoming fundraising efforts.
"Now more than ever, Michigan Engineering
is grateful to have such a committed and generous community of supporters," Director says.
"These gifts by Jerry W. Levin and Kevin O'Connor
help provide for our future growth and success, and
the college is honored to have such enthusiastic
leadership on the Anniversary Campaign Committee."
In the 200304 academic year, the University
will begin celebrating its 150th anniversary in
engineering education. Established in 1854, the CoE is one
of the oldest and most prominent engineering
schools in the country.
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