Below, you’ll find descriptions of each fund you can contribute to, highlighting the different ways your support helps advance MEP’s mission and impact.
Make A Gift
Support future engineers and help build a more inclusive world.
When you give to the Morrill Engineering Program, you're backing African American, Hispanic, and Native American students at Illinois with the community, mentorship, and opportunities they need to thrive. Your gift helps them succeed in the classroom, grow as leaders, and launch impactful careers in engineering.
The MEP General Fund supports programs that support MEP students for recruitment and retention. This includes programs such as the SOS retreat, MEP Meetups, and Peer Mentoring initiatives.
Dean Paul Parker Scholarship Fund
The Dean Paul Parker Scholarship Fund was established in the year 2000 by MEP alumni to honor MEP's inaugural director, Assistant Dean Paul E. Parker. The Parker Scholarship is awarded to exceptional MEP students based on academic merit and service to minority students enrolled in the College of Engineering.
Learn more about former Assistant Dean Paul Parker here.
Scholarship recipients are selected for their leadership on campus and high academic achievements. This award was created in 2022 by Jonathan Buie, Clarence Elliott, Estayvaine Bragg, Junia Findlay, Gregory Williams, Prince Darkwah, Ruben Esparza, and Michael Blasingame. Doing Better Scholarship recipients are selected for their leadership on campus and high academic achievements.
National Day of Love Community Scholarship Fund
In 2017, Charles and Diedre Banks started the National Day of Love. In 2020, Charles and Diedre awarded the first recipients of the National Day of Love Community Scholarship in the Morrill Engineering Program at Grainger College of Engineering. Scholarships are awarded in March to honor National Day of Love, which is celebrated on the third Saturday in March. Your gift of any amount today helps us to provide scholarships to students.
Read more about the National Day of Love Endowment here.
Juan P. Cabrales Memorial Scholarship
Juan P. Cabrales, a proud Illini and 1999 Computer Engineering graduate, believed deeply in the power of education and mentorship. In his memory, his family is establishing a scholarship to support underrepresented engineering students at UIUC, with the goal of reaching full endowment within five years.