9/12/2025
A $12.25 million gift will support student excellence and honor one of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s most well-known innovators and educators.
Gift from Holonyak Estate to transform student experience
Photo Credit: contributed, circa 2000
The Nick Holonyak, Jr. and Katherine R. Holonyak Fund will support undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships and student awards in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering.
Nick Holonyak, an illustrious innovator of illumination, invented the first practical light-emitting diode (LED) now used in light bulbs, device displays and lasers. Holonyak earned his bachelor’s degree in 1950, master’s in 1951, and Ph.D. in 1954, all in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. The legendary educator joined the University of Illinois faculty in 1963 and taught students for fifty years before retiring in 2013. He passed away in 2022. Katherine Holoynak, Nick’s wife of more than 60 years, passed away in 2024.
"At a crucial time for higher education, these resources will help the department continue to recruit the best and brightest learners and future leaders from all walks of life and backgrounds,” said Jennifer T. Bernhard, head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
The fund will begin supporting students in the 2026 academic year. Recipients will be selected based on academic merit and financial need in the electrical and electronics engineering fields. The estate gift will establish an endowed fund ensuring the resources will benefit future generations in perpetuity.
“The Holoynak gift reflects Nick and Katherine’s long-standing belief in the power of higher education to positively impact students and society at large," said Rashid Bashir, dean of The Grainger College of Engineering. "Their legacy inspires us as we educate students and conduct research that changes the world for the better."