Alumna Marillyn A. Hewson, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin, donated $5 million to The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration on Sept. 25. 

The donation will fund business-data intelligence and cyber security education and research by supporting two named faculty endowments, a high-tech lab, and an endowed undergraduate scholarship and 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.” 

 University leaders attended the event in Culverhouse’s Bidgood Hall in celebration of Hewson’s gracious gift to the College. 

“Marillyn’s generosity to her alma mater will sustain and promote our rigorous data-science program, enabling us to give students critical skills that are in high-demand by industry and government,” Kay Palan, dean of Culverhouse, said in a press release. 

Hewson is a member of the University’s President’s Cabinet and Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration’s Board of Visitors, according to the press release. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from UA and a Master of Arts degree in economics.

According to a press release, before the ceremony, Hewson met with groups such as MBA and specialized master’s students, students from the STEM Path to the MBA program, and College of Engineering students to discuss her leadership experiences.

“We thank Marillyn for her enduring and generous support,” President Stuart Bell said in a press release. “And we appreciate her confidence in us.”