STYSLINGER
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
The Rising Tide 2.0 Capital Campaign has bolstered the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering's ability to transform lives and shape the future. Through this Campaign, support for scholarships has expanded access to a first-rate engineering education, enhanced extracurricular opportunities have enriched the student experience, and investments in research, faculty excellence and hands-on learning have created new opportunities for innovation. These advancements are empowering students to become leaders, equipping faculty to address complex global challenges and strengthening the College's impact across Alabama and beyond. The lasting effects of this campaign will be seen in the achievements of our graduates, the breakthroughs generated in our laboratories and the communities improved through engineering solutions. Together, we have built a stronger foundation for future generations and advanced our vision of being among the world's most impactful engineering and computer science programs.
LETTER FROM THE DEAN
As The University of Alabama’s Rising Tide 2.0 Capital Campaign comes to a close, I want to offer my sincere gratitude to every alumnus, faculty, staff, student, friend, family member, corporate partner and supporter who invested in the future of the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering. Your generosity has expanded opportunities for our students and faculty and strengthened the many communities we serve. Engineering and computer science are disciplines of possibility and service, preparing the individuals who will design and build our collective future. Our graduates will help strengthen Alabama’s infrastructure, energy and manufacturing systems; advance computing and cybersecurity; improve health and quality of life; and address challenges of national and global importance.
Philanthropy is essential to preparing these future leaders and advancing the discoveries that will define what comes next. During the Campaign, gifts to the College have supported scholarships, student experiences, faculty excellence, academic programs, research and discovery, facilities and laboratories and partnerships with industry and communities.
The transformative naming gift from the Styslinger family created an extraordinary foundation for the College’s next chapter and expanded our capacity to act strategically. At the same time, gifts of every size have contributed to the collective impact of this campaign, creating opportunities no single investment could accomplish alone.
Though the Campaign has ended, the impact of your generosity is only beginning. Students whose education is enriched by philanthropy will carry that impact into their careers. Faculty will turn philanthropic investment into new knowledge, technologies and solutions, while strengthened programs and facilities will serve generations of students, researchers and partners.
Our responsibility now is to steward these gifts wisely and share what they make possible. I hope you will continue to be our partners by staying engaged with the College, celebrating the accomplishments of our students and faculty, and helping us demonstrate the extraordinary return philanthropy can create when joined with talent, ambition and purpose.
Thank you for believing in the Styslinger College of Engineering and in the power of engineering and computer science to improve lives and build a better tomorrow. We are deeply grateful for all you have made possible and look forward to building on this momentum together.
Clifford L. Henderson
Dean
Styslinger College of Engineering
THE MOMENTUM WE BUILT
$77.7M
TOTAL RAISED
79
NEW ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS
13
NEW FACULTY SUPPORT
ENDOWMENTS
THE IMPACT OF RISING TOGETHER
STYSLINGER GIFT ADVANCES THE FUTURE OF UA ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
The Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering is entering its next chapter with new resources to build on years of success and growth in research, academic programs and student opportunity.
On Oct. 17, 2025, the University of Alabama announced the naming of the Styslinger College of Engineering following a $25 million gift commitment from Catherine Styslinger, wife of the late Lee J. Styslinger Jr. The fully discretionary endowment gives the College the ability to respond to emerging opportunities, support innovative programs, expand student experiences, support its existing world-class faculty and recruit new faculty talent, and strengthen research and education capabilities in engineering and computer science at the Capstone.
“We are extraordinarily grateful to Mrs. Styslinger for this generous investment and for the confidence it represents in the future of our College,” Dean Clifford Henderson said. “It is a privilege for us to carry Lee Jr.’s name forward. His life reflected the kind of leadership we hope to inspire in our students – innovative, service-minded and committed to making a lasting difference for others.”
The gift honors Lee Jr., a Birmingham business leader whose path from college into business began earlier than expected. In 1952, at age 19, the death of his father prompted him to leave his mechanical engineering studies at UA and return home to lead the family business, the Alabama Truck Equipment Company.
He incorporated the company, renamed it Altec, and focused its work on serving the utility industry. Under his leadership, Altec grew into a global company with thousands of associates worldwide, providing equipment and services to the electric utility, telecommunications and tree care industries.
Lee Jr., who died in 2021 at age 88, paired that business leadership with a lifelong commitment to service and philanthropy, particularly in education. In 1997, he and Catherine established the Altec/Styslinger Foundation to support education and workforce development in communities served by Altec. The endowment extends that legacy by creating opportunities for generations of students and faculty to learn, discover and serve.
The naming gift comes at a time of continued growth for the Styslinger College of Engineering. The College enrolls more than 5,500 students across seven departments, offering 14 undergraduate and 17 graduate degree programs. The College’s research enterprise has also expanded significantly. In fiscal year 2024, it received more than $100 million in new external research awards, a record level of research funding for the College.
Henderson said the discretionary nature of the endowment is especially meaningful because it gives the College the ability to act quickly when promising new ideas, technologies and opportunities emerge.
“This gift gives us the capacity not only to sustain our momentum but to accelerate it,” Henderson said. “It will help us to create transformative opportunities for students, recruit and support outstanding faculty, strengthen high-impact research, and invest in programs that serve Alabama while contributing to solutions for our nation and the world.”
The endowment creates a lasting connection between Styslinger’s legacy as an engineer, business leader and philanthropist and the future of engineering and computer science at UA. By giving the College enduring resources and the flexibility to pursue new priorities, the gift will help strengthen its educational and research mission and extend its impact for generations to come.
INVESTING IN FACULTY,
EXPANDING INNOVATION
One of the highest priorities of the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering during The Rising Tide 2.0 Capital Campaign was investing in exceptional faculty – the educators, mentors and researchers who shape student success and drive innovation.
Through a $300,000 commitment from the Hewson Family Foundation, the Hewson Engineering Faculty Fellows program has become an important part of that vision. Established in 2023, the three-year program provides annual stipends that help promising early-career faculty members expand their research, attend professional conferences, develop laboratory capabilities and create new opportunities for student mentorship.
The program serves dual purposes across the College's framework: supporting prominence through faculty investment while advancing promise by allowing faculty to create expanded mentorship opportunities and experiences that would otherwise be unavailable.
“As a family, our giving through the Hewson Family Foundation is primarily focused on education because we believe it is transformative and empowering,” Marillyn Hewson said. “By donating to the UA [Styslinger] College of Engineering, we hope to enhance the recruitment and retention of outstanding engineering faculty, as they are the cornerstone of a high-quality education. It's clear that accomplished faculty bring cutting-edge knowledge, deep experience and innovative research that will enhance students' educational experiences and improve their job prospects. We hope our gift will extend and strengthen the impact of the College for many years to come.”
As the College continues to experience increased research activity and growing national recognition, programs like the Hewson Engineering Faculty Fellows help ensure faculty have the resources to build successful careers at The University of Alabama.
Since its launch, the program has recognized three classes of outstanding faculty whose work spans artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, water quality, sustainable energy, aerospace systems and other critical fields. The investment allows faculty to pursue ambitious research initiatives while strengthening classroom instruction and expanding opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
“Early support can make an extraordinary difference in a faculty member's trajectory. This program provides the flexibility and momentum that allow promising scholars to build distinctive careers and contribute in meaningful ways to the life of the College,” said Dr. Mark Barkey, senior associate dean for administration, finance and faculty affairs.
Beyond supporting individual faculty members, the Hewson Engineering Faculty Fellows program strengthens the College's ability to recruit, develop and retain talented educators and researchers. More than a faculty development initiative, the program represents a lasting commitment to the people and ideas that will define the future of engineering at UA.
RACING SIMULATOR ACCELERATES UA MOTORSPORTS INITIATIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
The Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering’s Motorsports Initiative reached a significant milestone through the addition of a state-of-the-art racing simulator.
Gifted to the College in fall 2024 by electrical engineering alumnus and Capstone Motorsports founder John M. Allen IV, the racing simulator has had a profound impact on engineering students interested in auto racing since its installation.
The simulator can be programmed to replicate the vehicle dynamics and track characteristics students encounter in various motorsport and automotive design competitions. Ideal training conditions would provide any interested student with unlimited access to a real vehicle and a competition track. However, real driving is limited to a select few drivers as vehicle testing and development take priority during live track time.
“Our simulator allows training and evaluation of an order-of-magnitude larger number of students, which improves both student engagement and driver performance during competition,” said Dr. Paul Puzinauskas, mechanical engineering professor and student challenge projects coordinator.
The University of Alabama's Crimson Racing Formula SAE Team is working to expand participation in its driver training program, increasing demand for simulator-based training and making the simulator an invaluable tool for driver development.
“Giving back to students who may discover the same passion for auto racing that I found has been an especially meaningful opportunity. Mentoring students through the racing program and the impact I’ve had has been my passion, and it’s why I want to continue supporting the program and the College for the future,” said Allen.
The UA EcoCAR team also plans to use the simulator in preparation for the next four-year cycle of the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge, which recently added an autonomous autocross event to the competition's connected and automated vehicle development requirements.
High-speed autonomous operation requires evaluating and refining racing line strategies that maximize speed and minimize lap times.
“By evaluating these strategies in the simulator, we can quantify their performance impact and mitigate risk and mechanical wear before track deployment,” Puzinauskas said.
Two years after its installation, the racing simulator has already revolutionized how engineering students prepare to compete at national competitions. As motorsports and autonomous vehicle programs continue to grow, the simulator will remain a cornerstone of innovation, training and competition while standing as a lasting legacy of Allen’s commitment to the College, ensuring future generations of engineering students have access to cutting-edge technology and transformative learning experiences for years to come.