Wayne State University in Detroit has announced a $25 million gift from alumnus James A. Anderson and his wife, Patricia, to bolster entrepreneurial efforts at its College of Engineering.

The gift, the largest ever to the College of Engineering, will establish the James and Patricia Anderson Engineering Ventures Institute. Embedded within the college, the institute will encourage faculty to envision commercial applications for new technology, secure patents, and establish new companies. It also will provide mentors to aspiring student entrepreneurs and will disseminate best practices in research innovation, technology transfer, and commercialization.

Anderson, president and CEO of automotive retail consulting firm Urban Science, began his career in 1967 as an instructor in the College of Engineering, where he developed environmental models and computer mapping techniques to display data. He subsequently pioneered a number of innovative computer-generated mapping solutions, including a software program that enabled General Motors' Cadillac Motor Division to map luxury car buyers electronically, laying the foundation for data-based dealership network planning and operational performance improvement.

"Investing in engineering and computer science education in Detroit will expedite the city's renewal to its place of prominence in the world," said Anderson, who also serves as chair of the College of Engineering’s Board of Visitors. "The philosophy behind the institute is captured in a statement first made by Abraham Lincoln: ‘The best way to predict the future is to invent it’. That is what the institute will be all about."