Anthony and Michele Manganaro
University overseer Edward Galante, E’73, and his wife, Cathie, have promised to give $5 million to establish the Galante Engineering and MBA program, an interdisciplinary effort that will hone top engineering students’ business acumen.
The Galante family’s gift supports a six-year program that will allow students to earn a bachelor’s in engineering along with a master’s in business. The program is designed for budding engineers who want to acquire critical leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
Galante says his gift is offered, in part, to thank the university for “opening the door” to his thirty-four years at ExxonMobil, where he started as a co-op student and rose to the ranks of corporate senior vice president. He retired in 2006.
Calling himself “a true believer” in Northeastern, Galante cites the co-op program as “a big plus” in his life, one that gave him a career head start. “It enabled me to enter the job market with great work experience,” he says.
President Aoun praised the generosity of the Galantes’ donation, saying it “speaks not only to how passionately alumni feel about this institution but also to the firm belief that Northeastern will continue to demonstrate leadership in the future of technology and entrepreneurship.”
The Galante gift has already attracted additional support. R. W. Beck, a Seattle engineering consulting firm that employs a number of Northeastern alumni, has established a $110,000 scholarship program that will aid a student next year.