UA trustees approve $25 million gift, name College of Engineering for Lee J. Slicinger Jr.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System voted to accept a $25,000,000 charitable commitment and to approve naming the University of Alabama's College of Engineering in honor of Lee J. Slicinger Jr., according to a special-called meeting transcript.

University of Alabama President Dr. Peter Mueller presented the gift and the naming request, saying the donation — from "missus Catherine Slicinger of Mountain Brook, Alabama" in the meeting transcript — will create the "Lee J. Slicinger Junior College of Engineering Endowment for Excellence." "Because of the generosity of Catherine Sislinger and the honoring of her late husband," Mueller said, "the College of Engineering will enjoy the support of an important endowment that will continue the legacy of philanthropy and innovation as well as foster continued excellence in the college for years to come." (The transcript contains multiple spellings of the family name; the article reports the spelling used in the presentation and notes that spellings in the record vary.)

Trustees offered remarks thanking the donor and praising the family's philanthropy. Trustee Ron Bridal called Lee J. Slicinger Jr. "a visionary leader" whose philanthropy has "changed lives in many, many ways across the state, country, and world." Trustee Aris Marcet and others noted the family's long history of gifts to the system and to institutions in Alabama, including prior gifts that trustees said benefited the UAB genomic medicine facility and other system initiatives.

The transcript records the board's voice vote approving the naming and acceptance of the endowment. Pro Tem Phelps called for the vote: "All in favor, please say aye. Aye." The item was announced as approved; no opposing votes or abstentions were recorded in the transcript.

Details recorded in the meeting: the charitable commitment amount ($25,000,000), the donor's cited hometown (Mountain Brook, Alabama), and the intended use (creation of a College of Engineering endowment for excellence). The transcript does not include the endowment's expected payout schedule, gift restrictions, tax-treatment details, or any related agreement language.

The board did not place conditions or amendments on the naming in the recorded discussion. Trustees expressed that the gift will support student recruitment, faculty support, and the student experience; no formal implementation plan or timeline was recorded in the meeting minutes presented in the transcript.

Votes and outcome: approved by voice vote with no opposing votes recorded.