Auburn engineering alum makes $10M scholarship pledge

AUBURN — An Auburn University alumnus has made a $10 million pledge that will provide an estimated more than 300 scholarships to Auburn Engineering students during the next 20 years, making it the largest single commitment to scholarships in Auburn University history.

Jeff Hills recently established the Jeffery S. Hills Scholarship in Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering with the program providing financial assistance to first-generation students from the state of Alabama who are in financial need.

The scholarship program will provide students with a scholarship covering tuition, fees, room and board for their first two years and then half of all costs for the remaining years in hopes that students will have secured co-ops or internships in their junior and senior years.

“I always intended to give back as soon as I was able,” Hills said. “I was a first-generation college graduate, so I understand the difficulties of that, both financial and psychological. For me, the biggest hurdle to overcome as a first-generation student was money.”

When Hills graduated from Auburn in 1993, an acquaintance helped him find a job at an engineering firm in Tampa. Hills worked there until 2003 when he started his first company — Hills and Associates — which he eventually sold in 2008.

Two years later, Hills started Eisenhower Property Group, which has grown to employ more than 45 individuals with revenues exceeding $500 million per year. Eisenhower specializes in master plan community development in Florida, and recently diversified into the multi-family and build-to-rent (BTR) business with projects in North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and soon, Huntsville.

Mario Eden, dean of engineering, said this transformational gift will not only free many students of the financial burden of a college education, but it will also inspire them to pay it forward for future students like themselves.

“The university recently released its 10-year strategic plan, and this gift is what it’s all about: creating opportunity and an exceptional student experience in a distinctively Auburn way,” Eden said. “Jeff Hills is the epitome of the Auburn Creed and an Auburn man, and we are so grateful for his support of this university that he loves so deeply.”

As a father of six, Hills said he hopes to help others break family patterns by having the opportunity to pursue a meaningful education for themselves. He hopes students receiving his scholarships will impact the world — not only with their engineering degree but also with their families.

“First and foremost, I hope they are able to graduate with a degree in engineering,” Hills said. “I think it’s a life-changing degree that puts you on a path to success. My hope is that these students go on to do well in their careers and consequently create a legacy of expectation where their kids and grandkids can also obtain a college education.”