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The ideals of Lafayette engineering have changed very little over the last century and a half. Early on, its founders made it the goal “to educate not just the engineer, but the whole person.” Lafayette engineering grads have both the technical and leadership skills to solve society’s big issues and help people live better, fuller lives.
That sentiment was echoed many times last weekend during the division’s 150th anniversary gala at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. The hands-on event allowed alumni, faculty, students, and friends to explore many of the current interdisciplinary student-faculty projects, such as a brain-computer interface, a Formula-style race car, a steel bridge, a musical playground, and a LIDAR system and aerial drone.
Philanthropy has always been at the core of Lafayette’s program, as Ario Pardee‘s gift in 1866 helped establish the curriculum in civil and mining engineering. That remains true today. President Alison Byerly announced at the gala that an anonymous donor has provided a $8.5 million matching grant to inspire others to support the College’s vision for engineering.
The matching grant has already brought a dramatic boost to the resources committed to engineering in Lafayette’s Live Connected, Lead Change campaign. Gifts totaling $3,955,000 have been increased by $2,140,000 in matching funds.
Other recent major gifts for engineering mentioned at the gala:
A major enhancement by Tony Fernandez ’81 and his wife, Susan, to their family scholarship, which supports deserving students who wish to study engineering, along with funding for student laboratory space
A grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, supplemented with significant funding from Heidi Ludwick Hanson ’91 and her husband, Daniel, to create the Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholars program
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