Largest Gift in University History Set to Transform Computer Science Education
September 16, 2014Contact: Katie Lawson, 301-405-4622
"The University of Maryland was an inspiration for me, and the relationships I made there have lasted a lifetime,"
The University of Maryland announced today a gift of $31 million from Oculus co-founder and CEO and UMD alumnus Brendan Iribe – the largest gift in the university's history. The majority of the gift, $30 million, will help fund construction of the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation, a new computer science building designed for cutting-edge work in virtual reality, augmented reality, computer vision, robotics and future computing platforms. The remaining $1 million of the gift will establish the Brendan Iribe Scholarship in Computer Science.
"The University of Maryland was an inspiration for me, and the relationships I made there have lasted a lifetime," says Iribe. "I’ve always wanted to give back to the school and public education system, and I hope this building will shape the future of computer science students at the university. The space is designed for hackers, makers and engineers, which will help give rise to future breakthroughs, products and startups that will transform the way we live and interact with the world around us."