The Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $100 million bequest from the late John W. Durstine, a Georgia Tech alumnus. The landmark gift — the largest in Georgia Tech’s history — is dedicated to the Institute’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, where it will be used to support three main areas:
- Faculty Excellence — creating endowed chairs, professorships, and early-career professorships.
- Innovation Infrastructure and Strategic Differentiators — providing seed funds for interdisciplinary research and ensuring premier teaching and research facilities.
- Student Experience and Programming — expanding academic programs such as the Capstone Design, the Flowers Invention Studio, and the Student Competition Center by supporting faculty mentors and students.
“John Durstine’s historic generosity is deeply inspiring to all of us working to carry out the Institute’s mission,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of Georgia Tech, in the university’s news release. “John could have left his estate to many good causes, and he chose to invest in Georgia Tech’s faculty because he knew firsthand the transformative impact that our outstanding faculty have in the lives and careers of our students.”
Cabrera noted that the gift will have an enduring impact, adding that Durstine’s legacy “will live on in every discovery, every innovation, and every student who learns from the faculty his gift supports.”
Georgia Tech’s Woodruff School is one the nation’s largest mechanical and nuclear engineering programs, with more than 110 faculty and 3,000 students. It features concentrations in advanced manufacturing, bioengineering, robotics, nuclear technology, and artificial intelligence in engineering design.
“This gift provides once-in-a-lifetime resources for the Woodruff School,” said Raheem Beyah, dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair at Georgia Tech. “By investing in the people who teach, inspire, and mentor our students, Mr. Durstine has strengthened the core of the Woodruff School and put it in a class of its own. His legacy is a testament to the extraordinary loyalty and vision of our alumni.”
Durstine, who passed away in February, graduated from Georgia Tech in 1957 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Following that, he earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and joined the Ford Motor Company for a 32-year executive career during which he helped lead the company’s truck and light vehicle design, powertrain strategy, and advanced systems engineering.
Durstine was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame at Georgia Tech in 2014. He had a long history of philanthropic support for his alma mater, which was recognized by Forbes this year as one of its “New Ivies, beginning with a $100 gift to Tech’s annual fund, Roll Call, in 1978.
“John valued integrity, precision, and results — qualities that define the best engineers,” said William J. Wepfer, professor emeritus and former chair of the Woodruff School, in the news release. “His gift is as strategic as it is generous, aimed squarely at ensuring Georgia Tech remains a leader in mechanical engineering far into the future.”
Durstine’s gift will be part of the total the Institute raises in its Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech, a comprehensive capital campaign with a $2 billion fund-raising goal by the end of 2027.