Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative
Scholarships bring amazing engineers to Illinois
In 2012, in partnership with The Grainger Foundation, we launched an ambitious initiative to raise $100 million in endowment support with a special emphasis on unrestricted scholarships. The Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative has since paved the way for hundreds of deserving students to make their dreams of becoming an engineer a reality.
The Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative attracts the brightest students, ensures a diverse and talented class, and helps reduce debt. We place a particular focus on highly qualified students from the state of Illinois. Your gift is the catalyst for access to education, for nurturing ambition, and for turning passions into possibilities. Your investment changes lives.
“It would be an honor if after I graduate I have the ability to give a donation to a student in my current position.”
Anna Rodriquez, Computer Science, '21
Investing In The Next Generation
Thank you to the 2,475 alumni & friends who gave $100 million in contributions to support our Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative.
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2019 Impact Report
Through your generosity, we can ensure our doors are open to the most deserving scholars, who will leave us better equipped to solve tomorrow’s grand challenges.
$5 Million in scholarships awarded during the 2018-2019 academic year.
Of the 845 future engineers:
- 32% were first generation college students
- 28% were from under-represented populations
- 34% were women
The percentage of women attending The Grainger College of Engineering increased 47% since the EVS Initiative began in 2013
Nearly 40% more students were from under-represented populations in the 2018 freshman class than in 2013
The Grainger Foundation's Commitment
The Grainger College of Engineering is named in honor of distinguished alumnus William W. Grainger, who founded the Fortune 500 industrial supply company W. W. Grainger in 1927. Our name reflects The Grainger Foundation’s unprecedented and unwavering support, totalling more than $300 million, to drive engineering entrepreneurship and innovation. It is the largest contribution ever to a public university to name a college of engineering, and we are honored to spread our global impact with the Grainger name.
This investment in the college’s bold vision creates endless opportunities for our students, faculty, and researchers that can be seen across our engineering campus—in the Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, Everitt Laboratory, the Grainger Library and Information Center, the Grainger Chair in Electrical Engineering, and an endowment in support of engineering research.
Eliza Wright
Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, ’20
“Most of my free time is spent giving back to the community to help other underrepresented minorities get interested in engineering. I hope to teach them that engineering is for everyone.”
Sam Dotson
Engineering Physics, ’19
“I worked really hard in my first two years at community college and it was nice to receive recognition for my effort through the Engineering Visionary Scholarship.”