Wayne State University Receives $50M Gift to Benefit College of Engineering

A Wayne State University alumnus and his wife have given a $50 million gift to support the university's College of Engineering. The gift represents the single largest contribution to Wayne State in the university's 157-year history.

To recognize the couple's generosity, Wayne State will rename the College of Engineering as the James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering.

According to the university's South End student media, the gift will benefit the college's faculty, supporting doctoral fellowships, undergraduate student experiences, and a dean's fund that will enable the university to recruit more faculty and Ph.D. students, boosting faculty research in mobility, battery and energy, and AI. The gift will also bolster student initiatives, creating a connection between students and careers to enhance economic growth and innovation in Michigan.

According to a university news release, Anderson received his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in 1966 and his Master of Science in civil engineering with a minor in operations research in 1970, both from Wayne State University. In 1967, he joined the engineering faculty at Wayne State, where he developed environmental models and computer mapping techniques to display data created by the models. 

In 1972, Anderson began working with the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State to expand his computer mapping capabilities to include census data, employment data, and other demographic information systems. He also developed statistical and mathematical models for the location analysis of demographic data. 

Since 1977, Anderson has served as the founding president and chief executive officer of Urban Science Applications, Inc. in Detroit.

“With Jim and Patti's passion for engineering and entrepreneurship, and their enduring commitment to Wayne State, it is fitting that the college will now be named for two of our greatest advocates,” Wayne State President Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy said in a media statement shared with 7 News Detroit. “We will build on more than a century of engineering talent that created a culture of innovation in our city.”