The University of Kentucky (UK) has announced a gift of more than $34.5 million from alumnus Stanley Pigman (’81) in support of the college of engineering. 

The largest single gift in the university’s history will support renovation, expansion, and need-based scholarships at UK Engineering. In addition, it will establish a non-endowed mentoring scholarship fund and a separate non-endowed fund to be named the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering Initiatives Support Fund; create a faculty endowment; boost the Stanley Pigman Engineering Scholarship fund; and bolster leadership activities for EduceLab.

“The impact of Stan and Karen Pigman’s generosity on this college and university has been extraordinary. Through the scholarships, facilities and programming supported by gifts from the Pigmans, we have been able to open more doors for students who want to study engineering and provide them with more tools for success,” said the Rebecca Burchett Liebert Dean of UK Engineering Rudy Buchheit. “The Pigmans have a deep understanding of society’s growing demand for engineering talent, and they are helping us to build the future engineers who will move us forward.” 

“It is our dream to be a part of growing the program to produce more engineers and computer scientists, which will benefit the University of Kentucky and the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Pigman. “Karen and I know that producing more engineers and computer scientists will change not just this generation but generations of many families to come, and we are specifically invested in helping students with unmet need, first-generation students and students from Appalachia become engineers and computer scientists.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Anchiy)