The donation will endow a professorship in manufacturing engineering and provide scholarship funds for Boeing Scholars, engineering students who also have earned President's Scholars status as California high school valedictorians or National Merit scholars.

The partnership also will team Boeing engineers with university faculty and students to work together on research and development projects through the Center for Advanced Technology Support for Aerospace Industries. Students will be eligible for Boeing internships during the academic year and over summer sessions.

"Manufacturing engineering is a critical need on a national scale, especially in California. By joining forces with Boeing, one of California's finest corporate citizens, we will be able to offer a unique opportunity for all involved," Maxson said. "Our students will study alongside professional engineers who are leaders in their field, working on real-world problems. I know of no other program where students routinely will be able to learn from the same people who may be their colleagues in the future."

CSULB is the largest supplier of technical graduates to Boeing in the region and the company's third largest nationwide. Boeing employs 2,332 CSULB graduates, 1,062 of whom are engineers. Additionally, 287 employees currently are continuing their education at the university.