The Robert E. Donovan Scholarship Fund at The University of Akron is a tribute to Robert E. Donovan who died April 3, 1996, at age 54 and a testament to his strong belief in the value of education. Every year, it provides undergraduate and graduate scholarships to deserving women pursuing degrees in engineering, law or business and The University of Akron.

Having completed at least 32 credits, undergraduate recipients of The Robert E. Donovan Scholarship hold overall grade point averages of at least 2.5 or better and demonstrate financial need. Graduate recipients, having been accepted into one of the University's graduate programs in engineering, law or business, hold undergraduate grade point averages of 2.5 or better and demonstrate financial need as well.

The Robert E. Donovan Scholarship Fund was established through generous contributions from the family of Robert E. Donovan; his many friends; and the company for which he served as executive vice president, Asea Brown Boveri Ltd., Zurich, Switzerland, and its Norwalk, Connecticut-based subsidiary, ABB Inc., for which he was chief executive officer. Funding for The Robert E. Donovan Scholarship continues through the more than 200 individual and organizational contributions, as well as through annual proceeds from the Robert E. Donovan 5K Run/Walk, and event begun by ABB Inc.

It is altogether fitting that Mr. Donovan be revered in a way that forever assists students attending The University of Akron. Nearly 15 years ago as an executive with Babcock & Wilcox, Donovan and his family lived in Akron, a town which Mrs. Donovan described as America's Heartland. Though Mr. Donovan's dynamic career would take his family to numerous settings, they never forgot the spirit they encountered in Akron.