Preparing the next generation

One day, it might be a student looking for funding for her club. Another day, it’s a faculty member meeting an alumnus to tour a new lab.

From Judy Grant’s desk in the office of the dean of the School of Engineering, she sees the good that’s done every day at UD.

“I see the impact that donations have on our students and our faculty, and the opportunities for them to benefit the common good,” she said.

Grant, who is the assistant to Dean Gül Kremer, is among the newest members of UD’s Front Porch Society, which recognizes consistent givers who have donated to the University for three or more consecutive years. Grant’s gift Nov. 6 to an endowed scholarship fund put UD over the top of its goal of 19,250 new Front Porch Society members during the We Soar campaign. Participation is one of the three goals for the campaign; the other two, philanthropic dollars and volunteers, are continuing toward their goals.

Grant, who has worked at UD for seven years, said her giving reflects her dedication to the education of children and young adults.

“My heart and my passion are really about preparing the next generation to be successful.”

“My heart and my passion are really about preparing the next generation to be successful and fruitful in their endeavors to benefit society at large,” she said.

While she doesn’t consider herself a big giver, she said she gives consistently to four areas important to her: UD, the community through United Way, public radio and Girl Scouts.

Grant served as a Girl Scout leader for 14 years, ensuring girls met with and learned from professionals in a variety of fields. This included educator Grace Mary Corrigan, mother to Christa McAuliffe, the teacher/astronaut who died in the Challenger space shuttle explosion. Grant, whose degree is in computer science, said 95% of her scouts have gone on to college, including a few who have earned advanced degrees from UD in engineering, public administration and law.

Engineering is close to her heart; her husband, Roger, is an engineer, and she previously served as graduate program coordinator for the School of Engineering. In that position, she worked with graduate faculty advisers and helped students navigate the process of earning their degrees.

Her exposure to the many departments in the School of Engineering led her to also donate to the Dean’s Fund for Excellence.

“I know [the Dean’s Fund for Excellence] is supporting and educating our engineers to be work-ready engineers for the common good.”

“I know that it is supporting and educating our engineers to be work-ready engineers for the common good,” Grant said. “[The funds] go to many different programs and are based on need in the area. That flexibility is important for the school.”

Donations to the fund could go to a faculty member for supplies for an in-class experiment or to a student needing travel funds to an engineering competition. Her gift in November to the Ian Timothy Brunner Endowed Memorial Scholarship came from her heart, she said. She joined with family and friends of Ian Brunner ’23, who died the day after his graduation, to ensure future students will remember his enthusiasm for engineering.

“I believe that when your name is spoken, you never die,” she said.

Giving to UD is one way she hopes to continue to nurture, support and encourage Flyers for years to come.