The University of Colorado Boulder’s mechanical engineering department will become the second named department on campus, thanks to $15 million in giving from local philanthropist and businessman Paul M. Rady.
The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering will join the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, named in 2017, in CU’s College of Engineering & Applied Science, according to a Thursday news release.
Rady, co-founder of Colorado-based Antero Resources, has initiated a partnership between CU Boulder and Western Colorado University’s engineering programs. Students will earn a CU Boulder engineering degree while attending school on the Western Colorado University campus in Gunnison.
“Paul Rady is a man of vision, integrity, grit and accomplishment whose dedication to growing a 21st-century economy across the state of Colorado is second-to-none,” said Bobby Braun, outgoing dean of the engineering school. “His philanthropy, which includes the largest capital gift in CU Engineering history, is fueling our growth and reach across the state.”
Most of Rady’s gift is committed to expanding and upgrading the department’s facilities.
“This gift and associated naming will usher in further growth of its impactful research and educational mission,” Braun said.
Updated 2:50 p.m. Jan. 30, 2020 This story has been updated to clarify that Paul M. Rady gave $15 million to CU Boulder over time, not in a single gift.
