Samuel Ginn and the Ginn Family Foundation have committed $30 million to Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering to establish a new scholarship program.
The program will provide 40 scholarship awards annually, covering tuition, fees, room and board for up to five years.
To qualify, Ginn Scholars must demonstrate need, graduate from a Title I high school in Alabama and be admitted to the College of Engineering.
“When I was accepted into Auburn, the affordability issue was front and center, but a college education was important to my parents,” said Samuel Ginn. “My hope is that this program will lessen the financial burden of a higher education and help families in our state. There are so many students with strong family value systems, and they deserve an opportunity to focus on their studies instead of focusing on their financial situation.”
The program will provide financial and transitional assistance to incoming freshmen, along with support services to navigate the demanding curriculum. Members will complete a first-year seminar to learn about the support services and resources available.
In 2001, Ginn’s commitment of $25 million to the college was the single-largest gift to a higher education institution earmarked for academics in the state’s history. As a result, the College of Engineering was renamed in his honor.
“Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Ginn made an investment in Auburn engineering that has propelled us to levels of achievement and excellence that previously we could only have dreamed of,” said Mario Eden, dean of engineering. “This new investment in the Ginn Scholars Program will provide access to hundreds of students from the state, further cementing our mission as a land-grant institution.”
A native of Anniston, Ginn graduated from Auburn University in 1959. Following his service in the Army Signal Corps, he built a 31-year career with AT&T and its affiliates. When he left Pacific Telesis as CEO, an affiliate of AT&T, he assumed the role of CEO of a spin-off and built AirTouch, the largest cellular company in the world with operations across the U.S., Asia and Eastern Europe. In 1999, the company was sold for $65 billion to Vodafone. After that sale, Ginn was involved in several start-ups, including Ondot Systems, a company formed to prevent credit card fraud. That was later acquired by Fiserv Inc.
Ginn has served on multiple corporate boards and received an honorary doctorate from Auburn University in 1998. He also is a member of the Wireless Hall of Fame, the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.
