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Stilwell Hall, home of Cleveland State University's Fenn College of Engineering, will be renamed Fenn Hall and the college will be named the Washkewicz College of Engineering.

(Lonnie Timmons III, The Plain Dealer)

Donald Washkewicz

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland State University has moved forward in its quest to create one of the strongest engineering programs in the country with a transformative $10 million gift, officials said.

Donald Washkewicz, president and chief executive officer of Parker Hannifin Corporation, and his wife, Pamela, gave $5 million and the Parker Hannifin Foundation is providing $5 million.

The gift, which equals the largest in university history, will go towards scholarships and renovations to the 1920s-era building that houses the Fenn College of Engineering.

Trustees voted Tuesday to rename the college the Washkewicz College of Engineering.

“When I graduated in 1972 I never would have dreamt I’d have my name on a building,” Washkewicz said in an interview Monday. “That is only a small part of it – the big part is what we can do for student scholarships and space.”

The gift continues the long collaboration between CSU and Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin. Since 1989 the company and its foundation have given close to $9 million to the university. Parker Hannifin gave $3 million in 2005 for engineering scholarships and $1 million toward improvements to a new administration center, which includes the former Howe Mansion. That center is now Parker Hannifin Hall.

It also provided $1 million in 2011 toward the renovation of the Allen Theater in PlayhouseSquare, which houses CSU's theater and dance programs.

But its biggest impact has been with the college of engineering. The global engineering giant, a leader in industrial motion and control technologies, is expanding into human and medical applications. It pledged $2 million to equip and staff a new Human Motion and Control Lab at CSU, which held a grand opening this summer. The lab recently received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, CSU President Ronald Berkman said.

Washkewicz said CSU was the perfect place to work on the technology, which includes collaboration with faculty and students.

“Engineering education is changing,” Berkman said Monday. “The goal is to build interdisciplinary relationships” not only within engineering but with other academic areas.

That can’t be done under the current configuration of Stilwell Hall, a former car showroom and service building. Soon to be renamed Fenn Hall, the building was renovated in the late 1950s with patchwork renovations in recent decades.

A new engineering building would cost $80 million, Berkman said, but the current building can be reconfigured.

CSU received $12.7 million in state capital appropriations in 2012 to make structural improvements and has requested $14 million in the 2014 capital budget for ongoing renovations to the building, Berkman said.

CSU will enhance classroom space, student and faculty gathering areas and offices and create a new entrance from Chester Avenue and East 24th Street.

The gift from Donald and Pamela Washkewicz will go toward creating two laboratory spaces – a Learning Incubator for Undergraduate Education and a Laboratory for Research and Innovation.

“We are committed to developing innovative approaches to curricula, rethinking traditional teaching modes, utilizing e-learning tools, and providing the student with a ‘blended’ learning experience where we optimize the use of online resources and direct interaction with the professors,” said Anette Karlsson, dean of the engineering college, in a news release. “We believe our efforts to drive innovation in engineering education will increase the number of CSU graduates while maintaining our recognizable identity of turning out ‘Ready-to-Go’ Engineers.”

The college currently has 1,700 students and the Parker Hannifin Foundation gift will allow it to improve retention and recruit more women and minorities, she said on Monday.

Washkewicz said he and his wife care deeply about CSU and many members of his family attended the university.

“We know that education really is the future of the country,” he said. “And we are just happy to be a part of it and make a difference."