“When you’re in the business of inventing, keep your eyes open for what to invent.” That’s a tenet that has driven Jim Anderson for decades. As the founder of global data consultancy Urban Science, Anderson knows all about being in the right place at the right time with the right ideas. In April 2025, he and his wife, Patti, helped bring the right ideas within reach for more Detroiters when they made a historic $50 million donation to Wayne State University.
The right place, for Anderson, has always been Detroit by way of Wayne State University. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering there in 1966 and 1970 and worked there as a faculty member for several years. Wayne State is where he tackled an innovative data-mapping project that revolutionized the way auto dealers and manufacturers track data. Today, Urban Science has offices in more than 20 countries and continues to blaze new trails in computer science.
“There has not been a time since 1963 that I have not been associated with Wayne State in one form or another,” says Anderson. “Wayne State gave me the mindset to solve problems others saw as impossible. That shaped not only my career but how we give back today.”
Wayne State was also responsible, in a roundabout way, for bringing Jim and Patti together. A contact he met through Urban Science introduced Jim to his next-door neighbor. Patti says, “He went to college, and they gave him a great education. He stayed in the area. Through that, he started his business, and through that, Jim got this big family and a lot of chaos.”
Championing Detroit, the Andersons believe, is only common sense. According to the university, 80% of Wayne State grads choose to stay in Michigan. “In our view,” he says, “this wasn’t just a gift — it’s a long-term investment in our city’s future.”
The $50 million endowment is the largest in the school’s 157-year history. But it’s not the first large gift the Andersons have bestowed: In 2014, a $25 million donation to the College of Engineering was then the largest on record. Urban Science has long supported STEM projects in the city and at Wayne State. Anderson was a founding sponsor of the Girls in Engineering Academy. He also endowed a National Society of Black Engineers scholarship at Wayne State and has provided ongoing support to the Engineering Society of Detroit to expand the area’s STEM talent.
The gift to the newly renamed James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering will provide funding for the college to recruit world-class faculty to Detroit, including support for doctoral fellowships. It will also expand undergraduate research opportunities. In giving this transformative gift, the Andersons are banking on Detroit to be the right place for the next generations of top talent. That’s the idea behind the gift, says Anderson. And as for the right time? It’s now, he says.
“I’ve worked in Detroit for over 50 years. I know firsthand the potential that exists here. Our city’s future depends on developing the next generation of engineers, scientists, and innovators.”
This story originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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