 Gilhousens give $5 million to MSU College of Engineering
Klein and Karen Gilhousen, through their Gilhousen Family Foundation, have pledged $5 million to the College of Engineering at Montana State University to establish the Gilhousen Telecommunications Chair and related programs in the college's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. The Gilhousen Family Foundation's gift establishes the first fully-endowed chair in the history of Montana State University and represents the largest gift in the history of the university, according to university officials. According to Robert Marley, Interim Dean of the College of Engineering, MSU has received the first $1 million installment, to be followed by additional gifts over the next four years. The gift will establish the Gilhousen Telecommunications Fund endowment to support the College's Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department. The gift also establishes an endowed chair in telecommunications, an endowed undergraduate scholars program, and provides funds for research development and graduate student support. "This gift is a symbol of the family's commitment to education and their vision of new opportunities for students to become directly involved in new telecommunications technologies," said Geoff Gamble, MSU President. "It is essential for any university -- and particularly for MSU -- to have friends and donors who understand how important private giving is to the health and vitality of our educational efforts." Gilhousen, who is a pioneer in the technology that makes digital wireless communication possible, said the gift is a tribute to his profession as well as support for its future. "I love the work (of engineering)," Gilhousen said. "I like the people who do it and the mentality that it takes to do the work. I wanted to return something to the engineering profession that has been so good to me." Gilhousen said while he telecommutes from his rural Bozeman home, he often comes to the MSU College of Engineering to speak, mentor and discuss ideas, and liked the idea of making a gift to "a very deserving institution." Marley said the endowment would enable the college to build upon a strong tradition of excellence. "This is a tremendous gift that will provide the department and college a significant new teaching and research platform in the exciting field of engineering," Marley said. "Our previous dean, Dave Gibson, worked diligently with Klein to make this happen." "We are extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Gilhousen. Klein Gilhousen is a pioneer and internationally-recognized leader in the area of wireless communications. He has been a major supporter of the College of Engineering and MSU. His support and guidance will enable us to attain a level of excellence in telecommunications that we otherwise would not be able to attain." "This is exciting news for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department" said Jim Peterson, department head. "We are greatly honored by the confidence this donation represents in the ECE Department. We plan to begin recruiting efforts immediately for a prominent specialist to fill the Gilhousen Chair in Telecommunications and our new Undergraduate Scholars Program is expected to award its first contingent of scholarships next fall. Eventually, up to a dozen undergraduates will be awarded scholarships in this program." Gilhousen currently serves on advisory boards for the College of Engineering, the Electrical Engineering Department and the Burns Telecommunications Center. He is an electrical engineer and an IEEE Fellow with a distinguished international career in communications technology. A named inventor of 54 U.S. patents and a pioneer in CDMA technology used in digital wireless communications, Gilhousen is a founder of Qualcomm, Inc. of San Diego, Calif. He currently serves as the company's Senior Vice President for Technology. Carol Schmidt
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