As you by know by now, the University of Michigan holds a very special place in my life and in my heart. My father — who was a graduate of the College of Engineering — would drive us out to Ann Arbor on weekends to visit my aunt Jessie. I was very impressed with the University of Michigan and I really wanted to go there. I was fortunate to be accepted; I believe it was because my grades were good. I studied hard, and I ultimately earned my undergraduate and all my graduate degrees at the University of Michigan. My favorite course was Physical Chemistry with Professor Case. Although I was a physics and math major, I enjoyed physical chemistry the most of any subject I took. I needed to be educated to make a living in this world, and I got all my education at the University of Michigan.
Anyway, I recently decided to make a $15 million gift to the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Of this total, $9 million will be dedicated to endowing a fellowship program designed to fund up to 10 engineering doctoral students each year, $5 million will go towards the renovation of the Ford Nuclear Reactor Building on the University of Michigan Campus, and $1 million will be allocated to the Center for Entrepreneurship and the development of a curriculum to teach students about employee ownership.
I personally give the University of Michigan and my professors there a great deal of credit for giving me the preparation I needed to become a successful scientist and researcher, and ultimately, the founder of SAIC. In return, I would like to help the University that is responsible for doing all these fine things for me. In addition, it is my sincere hope that the research my gift will support in the areas of bioinformatics, nuclear reactor safety, computer and network security, autonomous systems, and more will help to keep the United States globally competitive long into the future.
Of course, I could not have made this gift without the hard work of my many talented friends and colleagues at SAIC. Together we built this great company, and in the process we created significant and lasting value for our employee-owners, and for our nation. For that I thank you all.
I have included a couple of photos of me in my home office reviewing and signing the University of Michigan gift paperwork.
— Bob
