Lockheed Martin is a global corporation that works in the research, design, development, manufacturing and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. In 1999, the corporation donated $8.6 million to more than 900 universities in the United States. Much of the funding came from the Lockheed Martin Foundation and through employee contributions.

The Lockheed Martin Corporation Foundation established the Student Support Program at UF in 1997 to encourage students to major in engineering. Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Vance Coffman said, “New grads represent our corporation’s future–moreover, they represent the future of America’s technological leadership.”