University of Nevada, Reno Foundation receives $36 million gift

November 1, 2023

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

Now that we have reached the month of November, the calendar accelerates for all of us. Our students, faculty and staff are a constant source of inspiration during these times. The collective work that all of you are doing reinforces the power and purpose of our institutional mission.

Today the University announced a record $36 million individual gift to the University’s Foundation from the George W. Gillemot Foundation. This gift, with Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents approval, will create the George W. Gillemot Aerospace Engineering Department within the College of Engineering, and will provide next generation technology that will transform the visual experience within the George W. Gillemot Dome in the College of Science’s Fleischmann Planetarium. Thanks to the Gillemot gift, DomeX technology will be used to fundamentally change the current projector-based video display with real life visual clarity.

The gift from the Gillemot Foundation to the University’s Foundation is the largest individual cash gift our University has ever received. Today’s announcement speaks to the strong commitment of the Gillemot Trustees to meet the needs of Nevada’s future, as an investment in the success of our students, faculty and staff whose innovative work is driving the next great chapter in our state’s history.

George W. Gillemot, who passed away earlier this year at age 96, had a distinguished, influential and highly innovative career in the communications technology industry. He developed and manufactured products using patent-level technologies for telephone and communications companies worldwide. An engineer, World War II veteran, and longtime resident of Glenbrook, Nev., Gillemot was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University in 2000 for his longtime support. His vision was to always expand the aeronautics industry in Nevada, which he felt was essential to the future of the state through its need for education, research and innovation.

The Fleischmann Planetarium and Atmospherium opened its doors in 1963. In addition to the DomeX technology, the Gillemot gift will also help fund cost of attendance and fee waivers for K-12 students who visit the facility each year with their schools as we continue to share the message with students that careers in the STEM field are crucial to the future of our world.

Approval of the Aerospace Engineering Department will be requested from the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents. Curricular development will be done in alignment with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The first bachelor’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering are expected to be awarded in three to five years.

The University is humbled and honored to be a part of fulfilling the legacy of George W. Gillemot. We will be preparing exceptional aerospace engineers to meet the needs of the growing aeronautics and aerospace industries as we also make an historic investment in the continued impact a beloved community treasure, the Planetarium, will have for years to come.

To find out more about today’s historic news, visit our University news hub, Nevada Today.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President