The University of Nevada, Reno has announced a $36 million gift to the university’s foundation from the George W. Gillemot Foundation.

The largest gift in the university’s 149-year history will create the George W. Gillemot Aerospace Engineering Department within the College of Engineering and used to attract aerospace engineering faculty who are at the peak of their careers. The first bachelor’s degrees in aerospace engineering are expected to be awarded in three to five years. In addition, the gift will help fund cost of attendance and fee waivers for K-12 students who visit the facility each year with their schools.

“This record gift puts our College of Engineering in a position to lead and build a dynamic department that develops a new kind of aerospace industry in Nevada while supporting one of the college’s research pillars: Unmanned Vehicles—the New Space Frontier,” said College of Engineering dean Erick Jones. “We will be producing exceptional students ready to be leaders in their fields, taught and trained by equally exceptional faculty who will be helping find solutions to substantial issues facing the aerospace industry through their research and innovation in the aerospace field.”

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