$1 million gift supports engineering graduate fellowships

Alumnus Robert Herbold creates endowment at UC College of Engineering and Applied Science

A $1 million gift from Robert J. Herbold, BS ’64, HON ’14, has established the Robert J. Herbold Fellowship Endowment Fund at the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS).

Four graduate fellowships for students pursuing a Master of Science (MS) or PhD will be awarded annually beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year. The Herbold Fellowship recipients will focus their studies and research in the areas of computer science, computer engineering and data science. This gift will play a key role in the growth of the College’s graduate program, focusing on the development of future leaders in the areas of data science and computer engineering.

Herbold is the president of the Herbold Foundation, managing director of the Herbold Group, LLC and the retired chief operating officer of Microsoft Corporation. Prior to his time at Microsoft, Herbold was at Procter & Gamble for 26 years, serving as senior vice president for the last five years. He has served on both the UC Board of Trustees and the UC Foundation Board of Trustees. He is married to Patricia L. Herbold, who is a former United States Ambassador to Singapore. The couple resides in Phoenix.

“There is a high global demand for engineers,” Herbold said. “Engineers are focused on solving problems, and that is what the world needs, especially those with graduate-level training in computer and data sciences.”

As home of the nation’s oldest cooperative education program, CEAS has world-renowned faculty, state-of-the-art research facilities and a challenging, well-rounded curriculum.

“Financial support is essential to our students’ ability to pursue and complete their studies. Bob’s generous gift recognizes this need, along with the importance of nurturing strong talent to create the next generation of innovators in data sciences and computer engineering,” said UC President Neville G. Pinto. “We are deeply grateful for his love and support of his alma mater and his willingness to invest in the future.”

Herbold, a first-generation college student, said he’s grateful for the inspiring professors in the mathematics department who guided him while at UC. As scholarship recipients, Bob and Patricia experienced first-hand the difference assistance can make.

“The opportunity to go to UC, a quality school, and to be helped out a bit was invaluable,” Herbold said. “I treasure the time I spent at UC as a student and a board member.”

“As an innovator in engineering education, we need to be strategic about preparing highly trained engineers who work on the data that touches our lives,” said John Weidner, dean of CEAS. “These fellowships will allow us to put students first, while competing at the highest stages of research, academics and industry for which our college is known.”

This gift supports student success, a priority of Next, Now: The Campaign for Cincinnati, the comprehensive fundraising campaign for UC and UC Health.