TROY, N.Y. —  Thomas R. Farino Jr. ’67 and his wife Patricia Farino have made a $5 million gift to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) School of Engineering to establish the university’s first endowed deanship. Their gift marks another milestone in RPI’s yearlong Bicentennial celebration of the Institute’s past, present, and future. 

A named endowment for the dean will propel Rensselaer Engineering further in education, research, and the student experience. The Farino Deanship will provide the dean the flexibility to support transformative ideas in emerging interdisciplinary research areas (e.g., energy, health, chips, AI, quantum, and beyond), pedagogical innovations and programs for 21st century technological education, and student-led technical clubs and projects. The gift empowers the dean to nurture an inclusive and welcoming environment where students thrive, where faculty can pursue bold ideas, and where Rensselaer’s mission of advancing knowledge and technology continues to shape the future.

Shekhar Garde, Ph.D., the dean of the School of Engineering, will be the first to hold the Thomas and Patricia Farino Endowed Deanship.

“Dr. Garde has done so much to elevate RPI on the world stage in STEM fields. We hope the endowment will ensure that RPI remains a beacon of innovation and leadership in engineering education and research, and empower the dean to be agile and forward-looking, launching new initiatives that help produce graduates who are not only capable engineers, but also global leaders who will shape the next century of progress,” Farino said. 

“All of us in RPI Engineering are grateful to the Farinos for their generosity and their aspirations for the School of Engineering, and I am deeply honored to be the first to hold this deanship. Their gift both recognizes the school’s leadership and invests in our future. Mr. Farino’s story is sure to inspire our students and faculty to persist in the face of challenges and continue RPI’s 200-year legacy of creativity and invention,” Garde said.

Farino grew up in central New Jersey, where his family operated a 100-acre vegetable farm. A varsity athlete, straight-A student, student council president, and valedictorian, he was the star of his high school class. Farino had always loved science and math and naturally set his sights on attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study engineering. 

However, his freshman year at RPI did not go as planned. 

“I was overwhelmed with RPI’s rigorous academics,” Farino said. At the six-week mark, he was not passing any of his engineering courses.

If he was going to stay at RPI, he had to turn his grades around. Determined to succeed, Farino developed a disciplined study habit that enabled him to pass all his freshman classes. 

Then, during his sophomore year, came the real test: Thermodynamics, a difficult course regarded as a rite of passage for all engineering majors. Farino stayed two or three chapters ahead of the coursework and aced all the exams. Not only did he earn an “A,” but the professor, Andrew Devine, Ph.D., excused him from the final exam.

An “A” in Thermodynamics was rare. Today, a plaque recounting Farino’s achievement hangs outside of the classroom in the Russell Sage Building where he took the course. 

“I hope that plaque encourages all the students who pass it to stick with their studies,” Farino said.

During his junior and senior years, Farino excelled academically and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. Farino credits the successful career that followed to lessons learned as an undergraduate at RPI. 

“Tom Farino’s story is a testament to the grit and determination of RPI alumni throughout the generations. As we reflect on our Bicentennial year and look ahead to our next century, this deanship, created through the Farinos’ generous gift, could not come at a more fitting moment. Dean Garde is a most worthy recipient of this honor, which will create significant opportunities for many in the School of Engineering,” said RPI President Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D. 

“My philanthropy is my way of saying thank you to RPI. Looking back at my life, I can say my engineering degree from RPI is my single greatest accomplishment,” Farino said. “The discipline and work ethic I developed at RPI changed my perspective and enabled me to get through the challenges of life.”

“The Farinos’ commitment to the Institute and its future speaks to the profound impact of the RPI experience. Dean Garde’s vision for this deanship will enable future students and faculty to have their own transformative RPI journeys,” said RPI Provost Rebecca Doerge, Ph.D.

After RPI, Farino worked at Bell Labs and earned a master’s degree in engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. While working as an engineer, Farino developed an interest in patent law and decided to switch career tracks, earning his J.D. from Seton Hall University while on a full fellowship.

His background in engineering proved advantageous in the field of patent law, and after practicing for a few years at RCA in Manhattan, Farino returned to central New Jersey to open his own general practice law firm. There he specialized in land-use law, representing some of the top developers in the country, and would call on RPI civil engineering alumni to provide expert witness testimony in his cases. The Farinos retired in 2000 and now live in Southern California. 

While he may have escaped Northeast winters, Farino has a daily reminder of his time at RPI.

“When I was a freshman, struggling in my courses, I would see the upperclassmen with their class rings and wonder if I would be able to get one. By my junior year, I was making top marks, and I was so excited to order mine. I owe all my successes to RPI. My class ring hasn’t left my hand in 57 years,” Farino said.