25 years strong: Samuel Ginn's transformational gift continues to shape Auburn Engineering's future

By Jeremy Henderson

AUBURN, Ala., Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- What's in a name? In the case of Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, 25 years of excellence.

College alumni, faculty and staff, along with other guests, gathered Friday evening to mark the 25th anniversary of the college's naming — and to again celebrate the investment that inspired it.

Held in the college's Gavin Garden, the event honored the impact of the transformational $25 million gift from telecommunications pioneer Samuel Ginn, '59 industrial management, which in 2001 set Auburn Engineering on a path of unprecedented growth.

Mario Eden, dean of engineering, opened the program by welcoming alumni, trustees, members of the Ginn family and current and former university administrators, including Larry Benefield, dean emeritus, and Chris Roberts, Auburn University president.

"Since 2001, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering has experienced exponential growth in every metric — in rankings, enrollment, graduates, research funding, donor funding, facilities and much, much more," Eden said. "But this all started with an Auburn man and a dream, and a dean with the vision to see it through."

Benefield, who served as dean from 2000-12, recalled how Ginn's support helped the college overcome the challenges it faced at the turn of the century.

"Sam's $25 million gift, at that point in time, was far and away the largest gift that Auburn University had ever received," Benefield said. "Not only did he make that gift, he agreed to co-chair that campaign. I will always believe that Sam's gift, and his agreeing to co-chair that campaign, really ignited the 'give-back' culture among Auburn grads that has done nothing but grow and strengthen during that time."

Roberts, who succeeded Benefield as dean, recalled the momentum created by Ginn's commitment, which at the time was the largest single gift to a higher education institution earmarked for academics in the state's history.

"I interpreted that as Sam was investing in us," Roberts said. "People believed in us — and we believed in ourselves. That moment — that catalyst — didn't just affect donors. It changed how we thought about ourselves. Sam gave us a little swagger."

And he recently gave even more.

Eden announced that earlier this year, the Ginn Family Foundation committed $30 million to engineering scholarships, the largest such investment in the university's history.

"This remarkable gift from the Ginn family will impact dozens of students over the years by not only providing full scholarships, but also the student support services and resources to help them thrive," Eden said.

Taking the podium to a standing ovation, Ginn reflected on the vision he and Benefield shared a quarter of a century earlier.

"Donors get a lot of publicity, but I just want you to know that it's the deans and the staffs who get the work done," Ginn said. "For the last 25 years, we've had three deans here. First, Larry, then Chris and now Mario. They've been doing a great job. And, today, we are just in a great position."

The new challenge, Eden said, is to make it even greater.

"As we reflect on our past, we also must look to the future," he said during his closing remarks. "I have no doubt that the next 25, 50 and 100 years will hold even more greatness for us as we take our rightful place among the best engineering institutions in the nation."

SOURCE Auburn University-College of Engineering