Engineering grads give $100K to School for Engineering Practice

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/elops.jpg” caption=”Stephen and Nancy Elop pose for a photo at today’s announcement. Photo credit: John Bugailiskis”]

Every day, engineers develop and discover innovative new technologies. But how do those technologies get from the university laboratory to the mainstream market?

The McMaster University School for Engineering Practice, the first of its kind in Canada, will ensure that future engineers will have the necessary mix of skills to recognize and develop new technologies and to take those new technologies to market in a safe, efficient, and environmentally sound manner.

For Stephen Elop, a graduate of McMaster's five-year Engineering & Management program and chief operating officer (COO) for Macromedia Inc., the School for Engineering Practice will teach graduates the skills they need to take complex technical problems from the planning stage to the world-at-large.

On Friday, Oct. 8, Elop and his wife, Nancy, also a McMaster graduate, announced their gift of $100,000 to the Faculty of Engineering's School for Engineering Practice.

“It is because of the commitment and support of alumni such as Stephen and Nancy that I am confident that McMaster University will continue to make a difference, will continue to be the best, and will indeed demonstrate its entrepreneurial and innovative spirit to help keep Canada competitive in the global market while maintaining our quality of life,” said Peter George, McMaster President and Vice-Chancellor.

“The contribution of $100,000 to the McMaster School for Engineering Practice from Stephen and Nancy connects them to McMaster in a powerful way,” states Mo Elbestawi, dean of the Faculty of Engineering. “Stephen and Nancy send a message to our students and other alumni that they received a valuable education at McMaster and that their success today is because of their experience at McMaster. Their contribution will enable our students to benefit from their legacy.”

As a student, Elop worked part-time for the Faculty of Engineering. One of the successful outcomes of his employment was the preparation and presentation of a business plan for and following through on the University's first campus-wide ethernet installation in the John Hodgins Engineering building.

After earning his degree in 1986, he worked at Soma Inc., a Canadian software development and management-consulting firm. When Soma was acquired by Lotus Development Corporation, he became director of the firm's Consulting Services Group with responsibility for Canada and mid-western United States. Prior to joining Macromedia he was CIO for Boston Chicken Inc.

Stephen and Nancy Elop have relocated their family from California to Ontario in recent years. Their family of five children includes a 12-year-old son, an eight-year-old daughter adopted from China, and triplet five-year-old daughters.

Elop has been a great inspiration to faculty, students and alumni at McMaster. Portrayed on the front cover of the McMaster Times Spring 2004 issue along with fellow alumnus Robert Burgess, he gives freely of his time and experience to his alma mater. He was the keynote speaker at an engineering alumni dinner in Toronto in February 2004 where he shared his unique experience and future insights into the Internet of the future.