That’s why $18 million of the record $50 million cash gift by Manning and his wife, Donna, will go to the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Information and Computer Sciences, which have been renamed in their honor.
The gift comes as part of Mannings’ larger gift in September — the largest in the university’s history. Gov. Charlie Baker used a Wednesday press conference to announce that the state will contribute an additional $75 million to enhance and expand the college’s computer science facilities.
These new revenue streams will be in addition to a $30 million commitment from the Amherst campus to expand the physical footprint of the college. The goal is to fulfill the mission of “computing for the common good,” Manning said.
“I think our two greatest challenges we face are climate change and the potential disruption of middle class lives by computers, and its effect on human rights,” said Manning, the chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees.
“I can’t do much about climate change, but I felt I could make a contribution to making UMass a leader in ethical, responsible computer technology.”
Manning is convinced the need for technology education goes far beyond computer skills. He admits being worried that as instruments equal or even outpace human capacity, unethical use of technology could disrupt or ruin the lives of middle-class citizens.
“Our next generation of scientists needs to be able to ask the tough questions of what to do, and perhaps more importantly, what not to do. As computers become more powerful, we need to be able, as a society, to make ethical decisions about the role of computers,” he said.
“My dad worked for 40 years at Raytheon. It was a good job with good benefits. All those types of jobs are done robotically now. In the last 10 or 15 years, other jobs in the industry for accountants, lawyers and so on - they’re all gone.”
Manning made his career in investment, but his background was in management informational systems.
“There is great productivity in computer technology, but also many challenges,” he said.
UMass Dean of Information and Computer Sciences Laura Haas said the money from the Mannings and the state will serve many purposes, with ethical responsibility and diversity at the forefront.
“Our points of emphasis will include faculty excellence - so we can recruit the best and brightest - special funds to accelerate research, an increase in scholarships and a focus on responsible and ethical computer and data science, which has become a larger movement in the last few years,” Haas said.
The department named for the Mannings and supervised by Haas is already ranked among North America’s top 20 computer science programs. Its artificial intelligence (AI) program is listed in the top 12.
In Haas’ five years, the program has raised the percentage of undergraduate women from what she calls “an embarrassing 14 percent to 27 percent. Overall student enrollment in the program has doubled, making the nearly doubling of the women’s percentage even more heartening, she said.
Female members have more than doubled from 7 to 16 in five years.
“This puts us in line with with other top computer science schools,” Haas said.
She said the money will also help put incoming students on a more level playing field. It will support programs whereby undergraduates who might have attended less advanced high schools, yet have high aptitude and potential, will be able to raise their academic levels and remove prior disparities.
“We want everyone to succeed. We are especially proud that 20 to 30 percent of our undergraduates are first-generation college students,” Haas said.
Baker said the state commitment, which will be allocated over the course of multiple future capital plans over a period of years, underscores the importance of the program.
“Our administration is excited about the future of the Rob and Donna Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, because the research and educational programming at the College will help sustain the Commonwealth’s edge in these important sectors,” Baker said.
“We are pleased to commit important capital resources, which will be paired by this generous donation from the Manning family and investments from UMass, to help the College train and educate the next generation of computer and information science professionals and deliver on its mission of ‘computing for the common good.’ "
Manning said he considers ethics in technology especially urgent because, he predicted, the commercialization of quantum nuclear-based computers within 5 to 10 years. Haas considers that timetable a bit ambitious, but agreed the inevitable emergence and widespread use of more powerful systems will create even more complex ethical decisions.
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