Flint and Meg Brenton make sizable donation to Mount Union for engineering, AI studies

Canton Repository

ALLIANCE ‒ Flint and Meg Brenton are helping the University of Mount Union advance its programs in engineering and artificial intelligence.

The alums recently made a transformative donation from their Flint and Meg Gerlach Brenton Charitable Trust to Mount Union, officials said.

The university did not release the amount of the donation.

Mount Union officials said the money will create a new Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, develop new engineering majors and establish endowment funds for students. Also, the School of Engineering will be named after Flint Brenton's late parents, Samuel W. and Dolores E. Brenton.

Flint Brenton and his wife Meg (Gerlach) Brenton are alumni of the University of Mount Union, and the couple has been a major donor for decades. Flint Brenton also is a board trustee.
Flint Brenton and his wife Meg (Gerlach) Brenton are alumni of the University of Mount Union, and the couple has been a major donor for decades. Flint Brenton also is a board trustee.

The Samuel W. and Dolores E. Brenton School of Engineering will be dedicated Oct. 11, as part of Mount Union's Alumni Weekend and Homecoming festivities.

"This gift will shape the university's future, drive innovation and education across campus and position Mount Union as a leader in data science and AI," Bill Cunion, vice president for academic affairs, said in news release. "We deeply appreciate this extraordinary investment in our students, faculty and curriculum."

Flint Brenton, a 1977 graduate of Mount Union, is a longtime Silicon Valley executive, and Meg Brenton, a 1978 graduate, is a retired physical therapist. The couple has donated multiple times to Mount Union, including the Meg Gerlach Brenton Endowed Scholarship for life science students, and the Meg Gerlach Brenton Physical Therapy Teaching Lab in Gallaher Hall. Flint Brenton has been a member of Mount Union's Board of Trustees since 2018.

"The University of Mount Union is profoundly grateful to Flint and Meg for their visionary generosity," University President Greg King said in the release. "Their gift will honor the legacy of Samuel and Dolores Brenton and significantly advance our School of Engineering while fostering cutting-edge research and education in data science and artificial intelligence."

The creation of the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence follows the recent launch of two new minors in AI studies, and students who demonstrate exceptional use of artificial intelligence, data science and automation in liberal arts and related sciences studies could receive a new endowed award from the Brentons.

Also, the new endowed fund for the Samuel W. and Dolores E. Brenton School of Engineering will support new curricula and programming and make incremental investments into the experience and resources for students and faculty.

"We are excited to invest in the future of Mount Union. With this gift, all students will benefit. New curricula and majors will allow our engineering graduates to be placed in new, fast-growing fields,” Flint Brenton said in the release. “Mount's liberal arts majors will benefit by learning to apply AI, data science and automation as students and again in their chosen professions. We hope that Mount students develop best-in-class digital competencies and then apply them in their careers.”

"It is a privilege to honor Flint's parents in this manner, to be able to help Mount Union position itself as a leader in AI − especially to encourage non-tech majors to utilize it in their chosen field of study, " said Meg Brenton.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Mount Union receives a gift to create new school for data science, AI

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