A new student space and endowment at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing will strengthen student resources and further the college’s commitment to accessible education. The initiative aims to create transformative career opportunities for students, fueling economic growth and advancing social mobility across South Carolina.
Alumna Barbara Hickman Whye, Ph.D., who earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1989, will be the namesake for the Dr. Barbara Hickman Whye Innovation, Inclusion and Impact Center, also to be known as the I3 Center. The center will launch with $1.25 million in secured funding, aiming to expand access to engineering and computing careers through strategic partnerships with public and private sector organizations.
According to EAB, a consulting firm specializing in educational institutions, 33% of first-generation students drop out within three years, compared to only 14% of their continuing-generation peers.
“The I3 center will serve as a beacon of light for the country to ensure that every student who enters the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing will be warmly welcomed and positioned to succeed,” Whye says. “Far too often, first generation and low socio-economic students like me are faced with overcoming a variety of social, academic and administrative barriers to succeed in college. This center will work in collaboration with thought leaders around the world to mitigate these barriers to success. Our collective future depends on investing in the next generation of future leaders.”
The center will provide a newly renovated student community space in the Swearingen building. It will include support for activities and programming that encourage students’ persistence in their studies, fulfills social needs, and instills a sense of belonging. There will be individual study spaces, plus an area for group work and meetings with flexible furniture reconfiguration. Construction will begin in spring 2025.
“The center will represent a dynamic hub that fosters a sense of community among all students,” says Hossein Haj-Hariri, dean of the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. “Operating in cooperation with the college’s student services, outreach, recruitment and retention offices, the center will also facilitate meaningful connections for cultivating conversations and engagement among students and faculty and staff.”
Throughout her career, Whye demonstrated a steadfast commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. During her 25 years at Intel Corporation, she rose to the position of chief diversity and inclusion officer. Whye led Intel’s groundbreaking $300 million Diversity in Technology Initiative, which resulted in full representation in the U.S. workforce two years ahead of schedule. She most recently served as the vice president of inclusion and diversity at Apple, where she led the company’s commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive workforce by increasing diverse representation and ensuring equitable pay and equal opportunities for all.
Fortune recognized Whye as one of the Most Powerful Women in Business in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, she was recognized as one of Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, and in 2023 as one of the Most Influential Executives in Diversity and Inclusion.
In addition to the I3 Center, an endowment will be established in Whye’s name to support community building and engagement, academic support, K-12 outreach, scholarships, experiential learning, and professional development activities.
“I want to not only thank Barbara for her generosity but for also providing her time to her alma mater. Her support, partnership and friendship will benefit countless generations of engineering and computing students,” Haj-Hariri says.
Founded in 1909, the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing offers high-quality education through 40 degree programs, including the state’s only aerospace, biomedical and graduate nuclear engineering programs, as well as numerous computing and artificial intelligence options.