GW Engineering announced two new endowed professorships from a former electronics executive and philanthropist last month.
Irwin Jacobs, the co-founder of the mobile chip making company Qualcomm, and his late wife Joan contributed two $3 million endowments to the engineering school to establish the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Professorship in Biomedical Engineering and the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Professorship in Electrical Engineering. Jacobs said his time as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1959 to 1966 and the University of California, San Diego from 1966 to 1972 showed him how endowed faculty positions support and recognize faculty members.
Jacobs said he and his late wife had dedicated part of their philanthropy to engineering education after seeing its impact throughout his career, like how the studies prepare students for jobs in many disciplines. The Jacobs gifted the endowment to GW after one of their grandchildren graduated from GW Engineering with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science.
“We were particularly impressed by the strength of our grandson’s engineering education here at GW, so we were excited to expand the program by providing faculty support,” Jacobs said in a release.
Joan Jacobs died in early May at the age of 91 after contributing the endowment to the University, according to the release.
GW Engineering Dean John Lach said the endowment adds to a growing number of grants to the school, including the establishment of the Trustworthy AI for Law and Society Institute and partnerships with the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the Office of Naval Research.
“This gift will accelerate our emergence as a preeminent engineering school with recognized and differentiated strengths in high-quality education and high-impact research that leverages our competitive advantages and diverse community,” Lach said in the release.
University President Ellen Granberg said the University is honored to have the support of the Jacobs, adding that their decision to contribute two endowments speaks to the quality of the school’s faculty, staff and students.
“Their philanthropy will help GW push the boundaries of human potential by leveraging technical expertise and intellectual curiosity,” Granberg said in the release.
