- April 17, 2026
- By Jessica Wilson
A University of Maryland graduate has made a $1 million gift to broaden access to engineering for all students and to prepare them to make a positive impact on the world.
Inspired by the university’s status as the nation’s first Do Good Campus, Ronald Grudziecki ’62 endowed a Do Good professorship in his name in the A. James Clark School of Engineering. His funding will also create the Susan L. Grudziecki Endowed Director’s Discretionary Fund for the Women in Engineering (WIE) Program, honoring his late wife, who was class of ’63.
This gift supports Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless, the largest fundraising initiative in the university’s history with a goal to raise $2.5 billion. The campaign is helping UMD provide wider access to education, achieve research breakthroughs and build stronger communities.
One of its priorities is UMD’s Do Good campus, where service, innovation and social impact are at the heart of the academic and research enterprise. The Do Good Professorship will advance this mission by empowering a faculty member to push the boundaries of research, education and community engagement, translating engineering breakthroughs into tangible societal benefits.
“Those are excellent criteria for somebody to be able to not just do science and engineering, but to do it for the common good,” said Grudziecki.
Tania D. Mitchell, associate provost for Community Engagement and professor in the College of Education, who oversees the Do Good Campus initiative for the Office of the Provost, said the faculty member holding this professorship “is going to provide students an opportunity to understand how to make positive, enduring and meaningful change in the world as engineers.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Grudziecki for his generosity and commitment not only to the space of innovation that is created by the Do Good Professorship but also his commitment to Women in Engineering,” said Mitchell.
The new endowed directorship of Maryland’s WIE Program will provide permanent support for its leadership, ensure its long-term stability, and elevate its visibility and influence.
“The Clark School has a strong history of service to the state of Maryland and beyond, providing access and support for students of all backgrounds, and making contributions that improve our society. Our WIE Program has played a critical role in those decades of success,” Clark School Dean Samuel Graham said. “We are incredibly appreciative of Mr. Grudziecki’s investment. The Do Good professorship will support research and innovations that improve the lives of others and the WIE endowment will continue to support the critical pipeline of engineers. Generations of students will benefit, and those generations will reshape society for the better.”
The WIE Program aims to retain Clark School students by offering academic support, technical development opportunities, and a community through peer mentoring, lunch and learns, and mentoring. The WIE Program is also home to the engineering living-learning programs Flexus and Virtus, which are two-year communities that emphasize collaboration, inclusion and social impact.
The WIE Program also attracts students to the field of engineering through collaborations with local school districts including distributing 2,000 Get Outside and Learn (GOAL) engineering kits and bringing about 700 students to campus for challenge events.
The program is open to all engineering students. WIE Director Paige Smith said that “a broader base of identities means diversity of thought, mindset and experience in the field of engineering. When you bring together different perspectives, you think about problems from different points of view. This gives you a broader solution set that you are inspecting, which can lead to designs that can meet a variety of different needs.”
Ron Grudziecki majored in Metallurgical Engineering at Maryland, then attended law school and practiced Patent and Intellectual property law for 50 years. Sue majored in early childhood education. She taught elementary school for years in western Pennsylvania and Montgomery County and capped off her career as a volunteer in District of Columbia Public Schools.
In 2012, once the Grudzieckis’ children were grown, they decided to give back to Maryland in a significant way, partly inspired by his mother. “We didn't have much money when I was growing up, but my mother always found some way she could give. She instilled that in me,” Mr. Grudziecki said.
Sue had the idea to establish the Grudziecki Engineering Encouragement Scholarship. To date, 25 students have received support from the scholarship, which Ron continues to fund.
Terps Do Good
The University of Maryland is the nation's first Do Good campus, committed to inspiring Terps to make a positive impact now through research, public service and education. See more stories about Terps doing good at today.umd.edu/topic/do-good. You can support UMD's Do Good initiatives by making a gift to Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless.
Do Good Service Challenge
During Do Good Month, the Do Good Institute, Alumni Association and Center for Community Engagement are hosting the Do Good Service Challenge.
All Terps are invited to complete at least three activities from any of the challenge categories (serve, learn and give) and submit a quick form to receive a custom UMD Do Good tote bag, while supplies last.