Chapman Gets $1.5 Million to Start Computer Program

High-tech executive Henry Samueli has given Chapman University $1.5 million to start an undergraduate program combining the studies of computer software and hardware.

Chapman President James Doti, in announcing the gift Tuesday, said the program will produce “well-educated entry-level employees suited to Orange County’s fast-growing high-tech community.”

The program represents an innovation, because no other school in the country is training undergraduates in how software and hardware interact, said Drew Moshier, chairman of Chapman’s math, computer sciences and physics department. High-tech companies have indicated a need for people with that training, he said.

This is the latest gift the co-founder of Irvine-based Broadcom Corp. has given to benefit education through the Samueli Foundation. In December, Samueli and his wife, Susan, gave $20 million to UC Irvine’s engineering school, which was named for him, and $30 million to UCLA’s engineering school, the second-largest cash gift to the university.

In June, Samueli joined with Dwight Decker, chairman of Conexant Systems Inc., another Orange County high-tech firm, to give $6 million to UCI’s engineering school.

The generosity of Samueli and his wife has extended beyond higher education. He gave $5 million in June to Opera Pacific in Santa Ana.