TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - A $5 million donation will help build a high-tech cyber security lab and fund research in business data intelligence at an Alabama college.
The donation will be used at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, the Tuscaloosa News reported. The donation was made by Marillyn A. Hewson, a UA alumna and chairwoman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin.
“My education and experiences at Culverhouse have been an important part of my professional successes and my approach to business leadership,” said Hewson, who earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration and a master of arts degree in economics at UA. “I am grateful.”
The lab will be located at Bidgood Hall.
Hewson’s donation will also help fund two named faculty endowments, an endowed undergraduate scholarship and a graduate assistantship.
“With the rapidly evolving fields of big-data analytics and cyber security, there will be strong demand for talent for many years to come,” Hewson said. “With this gift, it is my hope that this institution will have the resources it needs to advance its innovative research and attract further support for its core mission of preparing students for the jobs of the future.”
The lab will be named after Hewson, who has worked for more than 30 years with Lockheed Martin. She has held a series of executive positions including president and chief operating officer and executive vice president of its Electronic Systems business area.
Hewson is also a member of the College of Commerce and Business Administration’s board of visitors and the UA President’s Cabinet.
“Through our academic programs, and now the Marillyn A. Hewson Data Analytics Lab, I feel we are at the forefront of preparing our students at the University of Alabama with the proficiencies needed to apply wisdom to knowledge that will aid them throughout their career,” said Jason M. Parton, who will manage the lab.
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