Raising the Bar
Our devoted donors help students aim high—and do more.
In our quest to give students the tools, opportunities and other resources they need to succeed, the College of Engineering was fortunate enough to raise nearly $4 million this past year thanks to the generosity of donors like these.
Ganpat “Pat” Patel (’70, Electrical Engineering)
A perennial Cal Poly Pomona donor power couple, Ganpat “Pat” Patel and his wife, Manju, recently took the step of investing $1 million toward the creation of The Ganpat and Manju Center for International Collaboration and Engineering Innovation. This center advances the goals of international faculty research; expansion of online course development; improving virtual learning and the funding of research projects in emerging areas like quantum and autonomous systems. In short, the center aims to enhance the research and educational mission of the college by innovating in emerging areas of engineering.
“This gift will enable us to interact with international universities to pursue common research and educational objectives for the betterment of humanity. Several of our faculty and students are already actively involved with this new center,” says Dr. Benham Bahr, mechanical engineering professor and the center’s director. “We are prepared to build on the college’s strong undergraduate research reputation with this generous contribution and expand partnerships with industry around cutting-edge topics.”
This new research and innovation center reflects Pat’s entrepreneurial spirit and belief that industry and academia are stronger when they work together. The Patels’ gift is just their latest investment in the college. Most notable of which is the Distinguished Lecture Series, a program established in 2013 to broaden the educational experience of students, faculty and staff. Since its inception, the lecture series has exposed thousands of students to the expertise and discourse of government and industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and scholars on ethics—with many of them being alumni. The Patels have also funded student project labs, and student teams that build vehicles and compete in international events held by the Society of Automotive Engineers.
In giving back to the school, Ganpat hopes to encourage future generations of students to keep learning and inspire them to find a career in which they “love what they do and do what they love.”
Jack O’ Neil
The late John “Jack” O’Neil, an industrial and manufacturing engineering professor emeritus at the College of Engineering for 33 years and his wife Mary, have provided for industrial and manufacturing students through their estate plans with a significant bequest gift. This will eventually fund scholarships to help deserving students afford their education at Cal Poly Pomona. However, when Jack passed away earlier this year, Mary decided to honor Jack’s legacy now by donating an additional $50,000 to establish the Jack and Mary O’Neil Endowed Scholarship Fund. This latest five-figure gift was hardly the couple’s first cash donation. In fact, the O’Neils frequently supported the university’s scholarship funds during his tenure by first giving directly to the college, and later contributing through the Pace Setters, a group of retired faculty and staff.
A former industrial engineer, Jack began teaching at Cal Poly Pomona in 1970, and quickly made a name for himself with his passion and unwavering charity. Famously, for nearly three decades he and Mary (’71, mathematics; ’73, master’s in mathematics) opened their home to engineering students for a Thanksgiving meal. He was well respected by students for always demanding their best.
“We wanted to leave a legacy,” Jack once declared, “and from the beginning, Cal Poly Pomona felt like home.”
“We wanted to leave a legacy and from the beginning, Cal Poly Pomona felt like home.” – Jack O' Neil, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Professor Emeritus
DENSO Corporation
DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, has magnanimously given to the College of Engineering many times, including $30,000 in 2018, $40,000 in 2019 and an exceptional $100,000 in 2020. It made the grants through its philanthropic division, the DENSO North America Foundation.
Over the years, their support has been instrumental in building our on-campus mobility design studio, as well as enabling the college's participation in two major events: the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Collegiate Design Series and the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, which inspires the development of advanced propulsion systems and automated vehicle technology.
“Our gifts are aimed at giving students the equipment they need to innovate for the benefit of today and tomorrow’s mobile society,” says Melissa Smith, DENSO’s community affairs lead.
Because of their intense focus on CASE (connectivity, automation, sharing and electrification) initiatives, DENSO has also attracted promising engineering graduates like Noa Sanchez ('20, industrial engineering). “It’s a revolutionary time to be part of this industry,” he enthuses, “and witness the remarkable advancements in propulsion systems.”
Pictured above: Melissa Smith (right), DENSO’s community affairs lead, visiting the college’s Baja Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) team. DENSO’s donations have directly supported the college’s automotive design teams, helping fund the construction of the vehicles and participation in international competition.