Texas A&M accepts $1 million donation for semiconductor education
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M University accepted a $1 million donation from Samsung Austin Semiconductor at a press conference Thursday.
The money will be used for scholarships, fellowship programs, work-study opportunities, and a new master’s degree in semiconductor research.
“We obviously produce more engineers than any university in the United States – if not the world – and Samsung needs a lot of engineers,” Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp said.
The two organizations have informally worked together for years. Many engineering students at the university have either interned at Samsung or gone on to work there after graduation.
“When I got out of college, the United States had 37% of semiconductor manufacturing here domestically, and now we’re down around 10-11%,” Samsung Austin Semiconductor executive Jon Taylor said.
Samsung’s donation will contribute to the university’s existing semiconductor program, while also helping to create the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute.
Sharp hopes this relationship will build a talent pipeline to meet the growing need for semiconductor manufacturing.
