When Paul Besser ’88 was a student at NC State University, he worked hard to earn scholarships and hold a part-time job on top of a full courseload.

Besser knew that if he could, he wanted to one day help future students attend the College of Engineering with less financial stress so they could focus on school. 

“Every semester was a financial challenge,” Besser said. “I want other students to not have that same financial strain so that they can better focus on their studies and campus experience.”

That is why he and his wife, Kathy, finalized a $2.5 million estate gift to the College of Engineering that supports student scholarships, as well as establishes endowments for a professorship and for K-12 outreach. Their gift supports engineering education at every level, from grade-school students just learning what engineering is, to current students figuring out their path, to professors working on groundbreaking research.

“The NC State [College of] Engineering is phenomenal,” he said. “I hope our donation will enable the [Department of Materials Science and Engineering] to recruit and hire a scholar who will not only perform advanced research but also mentor the next generation of materials scientists and inspire students in the classroom,” he said.

The endowed professorship will create a named position in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, from which Besser graduated.

Besser is now an enterprise fellow and vice-president for the new technology and innovation team at Entegris, a global company working with leading semiconductor manufacturers to enable ongoing advancement in technology. He credits NC State with his success in his career.

“We believe in the values that NC State instills in its students, and we believe the students are excellent,” he said. “We hope to make a difference in their lives by unburdening some of their financial constraints.”

Besser returned to NC State this past April to give a lecture on material innovations and artificial intelligence. He is a 2016 inductee into the NC State MSE Hall of Fame and holds over 260 patents.

This post originally appeared in Engineering News.