We are creating new scholarships and fellowships at the Jacobs School thanks to more than $5 Million in financial support. This is what keeps me going in these difficult times: working as a team to create more opportunities for our students. I'm so grateful and inspired by the people and foundations who are stepping up and allowing us to do this work.
There are no simple solutions to the myriad challenges we are facing as a society. But smart, motivated engineers and computer scientists who seek out the big picture and look for unintended consequences of technology are critical to any solution. That's the Jacobs School. Our students have grit and perseverance. In fact, more than 25% of our undergraduate students are the first in their families to go to college.
I'm proud to announce that we are building on the vision and generosity of our community and will be launching a new undergraduate scholarship program to support even more of our students. I want to give as many of our students maximum opportunities to focus on classwork, research, team projects, and the intangibles of a well rounded technical education that lead to learning and life-long friendships.