Chemical engineer turned master builder, Joseph J. Jacobs' '37 39' 42' H'86 life embodied the American Dream. Using knowledge and skills learned at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Jacobs went on to found and chair the fortune 500 Jacobs Engineering Group, one of the world's largest providers of professional and technical services. Throughout his life, Joe Jacobs, and his family, remained stalwart supporters of Polytechnic University, giving time and financial support to an institution that helped transform their lives for the better. Today, Polytechnic's Joseph J. & Violet J. Jacobs Academic Building stands as tribute to their generosity, and his faith in the value of scientific and engineering education.
"Jacobs Engineering is founded upon the chemical engineering knowledge I gained at Polytechnic and its application to the building of process plants. …In college, my heavy course load, my roving curiosity, my ability to acquire superficial knowledge, and wide interests were assets. I learned to work with people and not just for myself, to find rewards as well in stimulating and challenging others. I learned to motivate people by setting high standards for them as well as myself." Joseph J. Jacobs, 1991