To facilitate the building of a new computer science for the University of Washington, Microsoft (based in Redmond), has given the institution a gift of $10 million. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel and executive vice president of legal and corporate affairs, stated in an interview with GeekWire,
“The growth of the University of Washington is important for Microsoft and every single tech company in this state. That’s a big part of the reason why we are investing in this.”
The gift from Microsoft is the first to be received from the corporate world, and will help towards its full expected cost, currently estimated at $110 million. It is hoped that the construction of the building will help to alleviate continued pressure on the computer science unit for more places, given the increasing popularity of computer science degrees. Microsoft has also been pushing for more computer science education in secondary education, and helped to get Washington State’s House Bill 1813 signed.
Microsoft has given to the University of Washington in the past, providing the first corporate gift for the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering, completed and opened in 2003.
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