NC State engineering alumnus makes gift to support dual-degree programs

An engineering alumnus has made a gift to two unique education programs at North Carolina State University.

The $125,000 gift from Thomas K. Laundon supports the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program and the Thomas Jefferson Scholars Program, dual-degree programs that pair coursework in engineering or agriculture and life sciences with humanities and social sciences. Each program will receive half the gift, or $62,500.

Laundon, a 1974 industrial engineering alumnus, is the former president and chief financial officer of PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based biopharmaceutical company. His youngest son, Will, is a rising junior in the Franklin program, pursuing degrees in industrial engineering and economics. His oldest son, Russell, is an alumnus of the Jefferson program and went on to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree.

Thomas Laundon, who went on to receive his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1978, said his NC State engineering education, paired with his business training, provided him the confidence to work successfully with scientists and other technical experts in his field.

“In my professional experience, engineers and scientists would often be even more effective in carrying their ideas forward if they were better able to communicate and had a broader perspective on issues,” Laundon said. “The Franklin and Jefferson programs at NC State allow students to find their own path at the intersection of these disciplines. They are terrific programs and deserve support.”

The Franklin Scholars Program, a dual-degree program between the College of Engineering and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or computer science and a bachelor’s degree in the humanities or social sciences. Students in the Jefferson Scholars Program earn bachelor’s degrees in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and CHASS, respectively.

Laundon is a longtime NC State supporter. He has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and his family has endowed a Caldwell Scholarship. He was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in 2008. An office in the Park Alumni Center was named to honor the memory of his wife, Dr. Caroline Laundon, a graduate of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1976.