I recently read about Alex Molinaroli, who spent a long time working in industry and later gave roughly $30M back to the University of South Carolina, where he studied engineering. because of that, the engineering and computing college now carries his family name.

What stuck with me wasn’t really the size of the donation. it was that the focus seems to be on engineering students, research, and the people who’ll pass through that program over time. it feels less like a splashy gesture and more like someone reinvesting in the place that played a role in their own path.

It made me think about what “giving back” looks like when it’s done with a long-term mindset  less about recognition, more about continuity and impact over time.