Alum gives $10M to support UC engineering students

Ray Brooks never forgot what a University of Cincinnati engineering degree gave him – and now he and his wife, Connie, are opening that same door for thousands of future Bearcats.

The couple’s $10 million estate gift to the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science will supercharge scholarships and reinforce UC’s role as a national engine for engineering talent. The gift expands the Connie and Ray Brooks Scholarship Fund, which they started in 2018 with a five-figure donation. With this new commitment, the fund could support 100 or more students each year, helping UC attract top recruits and keep students on track through the early semesters before co-op earnings begin.

“I have had the good fortune of knowing Ray and Connie and witnessing their unwavering dedication to the University of Cincinnati,” said UC President Neville Pinto. “Their deep belief in UC, our students and their future is truly inspiring. I’m profoundly grateful for the Brookses’ incredible scholarship gift and the many lives their generosity will transform.”

Giving back to the place that opened the door

Ray and Connie’s support stems from a debt of gratitude for what UC made possible in their lives.

Ray, who graduated from the college now known as CEAS in 1983, knows how decisive that support can be. The fifth of seven children raised in Sidney, Ohio, he grew up in a family that valued education but lacked the resources to pay for it. UC’s second-ranked co-op program changed everything. Earnings from his paid co-op covered tuition, kept him out of debt and launched a 43-year career at the company that employed him while he was still a student.

“I was fortunate that my co-op employer, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, where I started in 1979, is the same company I retired from in 2022,” he said, reflecting on a career that began in a UC classroom.

Ray has stayed closely connected to UC, serving on the CEAS Advisory Council since 2016 and supporting the college through long-standing philanthropy. In 2022, he and Connie endowed the Ray and Connie Brooks Professorship in Sustainability and Renewable Energy.

With their latest gift, the Brooks are expanding the Connie and Ray Brooks Scholarship Fund to reach more of CEAS’s 7,000-plus students. As enrollment grows about 5% a year, scholarships play a key role in attracting top talent and keeping students on track through year two, when co-op placements begin.

“Ray is tremendously invested in our students and their success,” said John “Marty” Emmert, the college’s interim dean. “His success is a testament to our co-op program and his and Connie’s continued support is an amazing legacy.”

Setting the pace for a rising college

Ray and Connie’s commitment comes amid a surge of momentum for CEAS. Recent gifts – from a $1 million endowed professorship honoring longtime mechanical and materials engineering professor Phillip Quo to a $4 million investment from alums Mohammad Qayoumi and Najia Karim – show growing confidence in the college’s direction and its role in strengthening the region’s technical workforce.

The University of Cincinnati Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm for UC and UC Health, partnered with each of these donors, including the Brooks, to shape their impact. The Foundation aligns donor intent with university priorities, structures endowed funds and ensures that gifts deliver long-term benefits for students, faculty and programs.

That wave of philanthropy helped UC Foundation post a record fundraising year, with donors contributing more than $228 million between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Those investments advanced everything from new research spaces to expanded scholarship support for a growing student body.

Amid that wave of generosity, the Brookses’ gift stands out for its lasting impact on students’ access to education and career opportunities. It also brings the story full circle for Ray who’s creating opportunities for future engineers who, like him, would otherwise lack the financial means to attend college.

“I like the Maya Angelou quote, ‘To those who are given much, much is expected,’” Ray Brooks said. “We’ve been fortunate with my career with Marathon, and I think it’s important to do good with what I’ve earned. I realize there are probably a lot of students with backgrounds similar to mine and (offering) scholarships is a way we can make an impact.”