The University of South Florida received a $2.7 million gift, which will go toward student scholarships.
The funds, from late Palm Harbor resident and former NASA engineer Tom Tiedemann, will be used to support students in the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences, which is housed in the Morsani College of Medicine.
“We are deeply grateful for Mr. Tiedemann’s investment in our students,” says Rhea Law, president of USF. “It means a great deal that he entrusted the University of South Florida with carrying on his legacy in a way that generations of students will benefit from his philanthropy.”
When Tiedemann passed away, in March 2023 at age 84, his final wishes were made public. He had signed a gift agreement, in 2016, laying out his plans for deferred gifts to USF. He wanted them distributed equally among three scholarship funds: for the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences.
Tiedemann’s interest in supporting the College of Engineering is attributed to his career at NASA, while his interest in supporting the College of Nursing and physical therapy studies is speculated to be a gesture of gratitude for the health care services he and his mother experienced.