Dorothy Davidson, chair and CEO of Huntsville's Davidson Technologies, made a $5 million gift to Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The donation will go toward the renovation of Broun Hall, the electrical engineering building.
The gift honors her late husband Julian Davidson, a 1950 electrical engineering graduate and defense industry pioneer.
The Davidsons co-founded Davidson Technologies, a company that provides innovative engineering, technical, and management solutions for the defense and aerospace industries, in 1996.
"Julian would agree that the renovation of Broun Hall will provide an environment that will inspire the next generation of engineers through spaces that are conducive to study and collaboration," Davidson said in a University press release.
Austin Phillips, communications specialist for the College of Engineering, said the college plans to use the donation to renovate the areas of Broun Hall that are most frequented by students. The changes will modernize the building, Phillips said.
"We want to open it up," Phillips said. "The appearance of the building is going to be dramatically different."
Davidson announced the gift at a recent event in Huntsville related to "Because This is Auburn," the University's campaign to raise $1 billion. To date, the University has raised $855 million, or 85.5 percent of its goal.
"Our vision is to be the best student-centered engineering experience in America," Phillips said. "We believe gifts from alumni are really helping elevate this college to be one of the elite engineering programs in the nation."
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