UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Engineering has received a $19 million gift from the estate of E. Michael Ackley, placing Ackley among the top five individual donors in college history. The funds will support a variety of critical priorities, including student scholarships to aid access and affordability, the college’s campus facilities modernization, and faculty research.  

Ackley graduated from the University with a degree in engineering science in 1960 and passed away in March 2020. He became a lifetime member of the Penn State Alumni Association in 1980, was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity, and served in the U.S. Army after his graduation. He founded Ackley Machine Corp. in 1976. Today, the company specializes in pharmaceutical printing, laser marking, laser drilling and vision inspection technology. 

“The impact of this extraordinary gift from Mr. Ackley will be felt throughout the entire college, now and for years to come,” said Tonya L. Peeples, the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering. “It will create funding opportunities for students and faculty to continue to pursue excellence in their studies and research; support critical facilities for teaching and research; and propel Penn State to an even more prominent leadership position in the area of semiconductor packaging. Mr. Ackley’s legacy in our college will be profound and enduring.”  

Of the total gift, $5 million will be used to enhance student success. To support undergraduate research in perpetuity, the Ackley Undergraduate Research Program will be created with a $1 million endowment. The first priority for this funding will be for engineering science and mechanics students working on research for their honors thesis. A second prong of undergraduate support will be provided through the Ackley Scholars, a scholarship program created with $2 million to provide financial assistance in perpetuity to engineering students with a preference toward those with demonstrated financial need.  

To aid in the college’s priority to recruit the most talented students at all levels, another $2 million will create the Ackley Graduate Fellowship Program, which will support both the teaching and research of graduate students.

Another $4 million will be directed to the new Engineering Design and Innovation Building, which opened fully at the start of the 2023-24 academic year, and the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building, which opened in the fall of 2024.  

 “These facilities further the college’s commitment to pioneering advances in engineering education, with a focus on hands-on learning and innovative pedagogy that prepare students for career success,” Peeples said. “Mr. Ackley’s gift will enable us to capitalize on all the opportunities that the buildings offer.”   

In recognition of the donor’s generosity, the lower level of the Engineering Design and Innovation Building will be known as the Ackley Family Innovation and Manufacturing Suite, which includes the Factory for Advanced Manufacturing Education, the metals shop, the composites lab, the computation design lab, two state-of-the-art general classrooms, and the lobby. Additionally, one of the main general-purpose classrooms on the second floor of the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building will be named in the Ackley family’s honor.

An additional $4 million will be used to name a new semiconductor packaging manufacturing laboratory. Last year, the Semiconductor Research Corporation’s Joint University Microelectronics Program partnered with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to create the $32.7 million, Penn State-led Center for Heterogeneous Integration of Micro Electronic Systems (CHIMES). According to Madhavan Swaminathan, electrical engineering department head, William E. Leonhard Chair Professor and director of CHIMES, the center pushes the envelope of traditional chip systems, using breakthrough components, production methods and platforms. He said that Penn State continues to be a driver of global solutions in this industry, working closely with the government, industry and academic leaders in the field. 

“This generous support from Mr. Ackley will help Penn State’s research in the area of semiconductor packaging reach new heights as we continue to be an international leader in this area,” Swaminathan said. 

In recognition of Ackley’s graduation from the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM), $1 million of the gift will be used to create the Ackley Professor of Engineering Science position, the first endowed professorship for the department.  

“This historic professorship will strengthen the department’s efforts for recruiting and retaining top faculty,” said Vincent Meunier, ESM department head and P.B. Breneman Chair and Professor. “Gaining more top faculty will positively impact all aspects of the department, from the student experience and our research outcomes.” 

The remaining funds will be used to create an endowed dean’s discretionary fund, to be used by the dean of the College of Engineering to respond to emerging needs with agility.  

“With such far-reaching support, the Ackley legacy — which is one of innovation and leadership — will be reflected in our classrooms and labs, bolstering our teaching and research excellence indefinitely,” Peeples said. “We are grateful for all our friends who, like Mr. Ackley, thoughtfully choose to support the University and College of Engineering through an estate gift. Gifts like these are instrumental in ensuring that the college’s tradition of excellence will continue for future generations. It is truly a privilege that Mr. Ackley, and others like him, would consider the college a part of their legacy and provide support in this way.”  

Estate gifts advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.