DUDLEY & BARBARA WHITE
ENGINEERING A BETTER FUTURE
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“We need engineers who can solve technical problems.
But we also need engineers who can contribute their
expertise to policymaking.”
— Dudley White
VISIT US
ONLINE:
s Dudley White (EE ’76, ’77) sees it, engineering is crucial to the nation’s future. “Energy, the environment, the
aging population — these are all problems that need engineering expertise,” he says. That’s why Dudley and
his wife, Barbara (AE ’81), have long been supporters of the Engineering School. When Lockheed Martin purchased
Zeta Associates, the company he helped build, they saw an opportunity to increase their contribution. “Our desire
is to enhance the School’s ability to prepare engineers with the skills they need to make a difference,” he says.
As Zeta grew, the firm often had difficulty finding engineers whose practical experience matched their
theoretical knowledge. The Whites established the Dudley and Barbara White Fund for Enhanced Student
Experiences to reinforce efforts underway in the Charles L. Brown Department of Computer and Electrical
Engineering to strike this balance. In addition to this endowment for experiential learning, they are helping fund
an undergraduate student lab and a student lounge.
Dudley’s long experience working in Washington brought him face to face with another issue: the lack of scientific
and engineering expertise among the nation’s policymakers. Supporting the School’s Science and Technology Policy
Internship Program was a natural fit. The 10-week policy internship program connects students with meaningful
projects at government agencies, think tanks and nonprofits. The Whites have created an endowment for the
internship program and are underwriting its cost for this school year. “We need engineers who can solve technical
problems,” he says. “But we also need engineers who can contribute their expertise to policymaking.”
The Whites’ decision to give is also motivated by their appreciation for the quality of the education they
received. “I feel I owe the School a debt of gratitude for giving me the foundation that enabled me to do well in
my career,” Dudley says. “Through our contributions, we’d like to increase awareness that the University has a
great engineering program.”
View the names of thousands of alumni and friends whose financial support is engineering a better school.
See more stories, videos and other media highlighting the work of our faculty and students. www.uvef.seas.virginia.edu/print
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