The School of Engineering and Applied Science laid the foundation for their careers and shaped their lives in countless ways. Now, they’re ensuring that UVA Engineering students and faculty lead the nation in engineering technologies and advancements.

Longtime supporters Dudley (Engr ’76, ’77) and Barbara (Engr ’81) White have made an extraordinary $6.1 million commitment to the school, supporting the Science and Technology Policy Internship Program, as well as the creation of an endowed professorship honoring engineering professor Stephen G. Wilson in the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The couple’s gift also includes a bequest to support the school’s future needs.

“With this transformative gift, the Whites are accelerating our progress toward the goal of leading engineering schools in seizing opportunities to benefit humanity through bold research and world-class education,” said Craig H. Benson, dean of the School of Engineering and Janet and John Hamilton Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “We’re grateful for their generous support.”

Currently residing in central Virginia, the Whites have built a life around the engineering knowledge they gained at UVA. For 30 years, Dudley worked at Zeta Associates, a company specializing in technology that powers critical national security missions. There, he worked to analyze and solve complex digital signal processing problems. Barbara, a former aerospace engineering major, spent time in rocket motor research and development at Atlantic Research Corporation.

The couple sees their latest gift as an opportunity to enhance the theoretical and real-world training students receive at UVA—skills that were crucial to their own development.

The Whites’ gift marks the largest to the Engineering School since the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation invested $15 million to create the A. James Clark Scholars Program in 2017.