Graduate students at The University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences will have the chance to tap into new scholarship funding, thanks to the founding dean’s donation of $10 million — the largest gift ever towards any scholarship at the university.

Professor Emeritus James C. Wyant made his gift in the form of a four-to-one matching gift on any donations made for endowments at the college. While the school’s founding dean continues to teach, Wyant also has co-founded such businesses as Tucson’s 4D Technology Corp., where he continues to serve as chairman.

Gifts of any size will be matched but there is an added feature for a person or group giving $100,000: the right to name the scholarship. Thirteen Friends of Tucson Optics endowed scholarships already have been established due to Wyant’s gift.