Former Apple exec makes huge ‘transformational’ gift to UMass
The University of Massachusetts Amherst received a $50 million donation from a former Apple executive, the largest gift in the school's history.
Daniel J. Riccio Jr. donated millions of dollars to support UMass Amherst's College of Engineering which will fund fellowships, professorships and new initiatives.
"As a proud alum, I've seen UMass Amherst, including its College of Engineering, become a world-class institution over the past 20 years. While UMass has come a long way, I believe it has untapped potential and with the right level of investment and support, its best days are yet to come," Riccio said in a statement. "This said, I'm excited to make this gift and partner with UMass to take the College of Engineering to the next level and build on its mission of revolutionizing engineering and making the world a better place."
As a result of the donation, the institution is renaming its engineering school after Riccio.
Riccio spent nearly three decades working at Apple in different roles, building the company's product design team, developing its product development process and leading its hardware engineering team.
An alumnus of UMass, he has also been involved with UMass Amherst by serving on the university's advisory council for the College of Engineering and by giving $15 million to fund ALS and neuroscience research at UMass Chan Medical School in 2022.
"We are deeply grateful to Dan for his transformational gift and commitment to the future of engineering at UMass Amherst," UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes said in a statement. "His forward-thinking philanthropy and belief in our research and the impact of a UMass education will elevate the entire campus and empower UMass engineering students to shape their environment and the world for generations."
Forty million of the donation will be focused on scholarships for undergraduate engineering students; graduate fellowships; a chair in biomedical engineering; professorships for the recruitment and/or retention of eight distinguished faculty members; a deanship, as well as faculty fellowships, according to the university.
The other $10 million will create a "catalyst fund" to explore the intersection of technology and health with UMass Chan Medical School; create a design curriculum with the College of Humanities and Fine Arts; and create an engineering leadership program with the Isenberg School fo Management.
The university is also putting in $25 million of institutional resources to match Riccio's donation.
Governor Maura Healey said the donation "marks a monumental step forward in lengthening our lead in research and innovation."
The donation comes after an announcement about longtime supporters John and Elizabeth Armstrong donating $4 million for research funding .
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