MPRINT: Steven and Cassandra Bradley expand engineering’s impact through IDEELab
For Steven and Cassandra Bradley, Mississippi State University has played a key role in shaping their lives and careers. Now, the couple is giving back to support future generations of engineering students through a gift to the Bagley College of Engineering.
Both were raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, then met during college. They graduated together in December 1999 from MSU, with Steven earning a degree in mechanical engineering and Cassandra earning a degree in computer engineering. Their education launched careers that took them across the Southeast. Today, Steven is president of Cox Farms, a division of Cox Enterprises, and the couple lives in Darien, Georgia.
Their connection to MSU has remained strong and inspired the Bradleys to give back by supporting the renovation of the mechanical engineering portion of Patterson Hall, to become the home of the Innovation, Design and Engineering Education Laboratory, or IDEELab.
“I give a lot of credit to the education and experience I got from Mississippi State for getting me where I am now,” Steven said. “I want other people to be able to have that same experience.”
Their motivation grew stronger as they returned to campus while helping their son, Cole, choose a university. He is now a Mississippi State mechanical engineering student.“Seeing what other schools have to offer and then seeing Mississippi State again 25 or 30 years later, it became very apparent that to recruit the best and brightest, you need really good facilities, and Mississippi State’s are fantastic,” he said. “Putting myself in the place of a young engineer, I believe it’s important to have spaces where they can get hands-on experience.”
This vision aligns with the purpose of the IDEELab, which is designed to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities that complement classroom instruction. The space will help students gain practical experience in design and manufacturing by offering access to advanced tools, collaborative work areas and mentorship.
“How can you be a good engineer and design something if you don’t understand what it takes to make it?” he said. “You need to understand what the mechanic is doing and how parts are built, which has always been part of Mississippi State’s approach.”
The Bradleys view their gift as an opportunity to maximize impact for numerous students for years to come.
“We thought about scholarships, but what stood out about the IDEELab is that it’s an amplifier of our gift,” he said. “Instead of helping one student, we’re impacting hundreds, maybe thousands, of students over time.”
Their gift will support the transformation of Patterson Hall into a modern, collaborative environment that fosters innovation and problem-solving. In recognition of their gift, a collaborative study space within the IDEELab will be named the Steven and Cassandra Bradley Collaborative Space.
For the Bradleys, their gift is a way to invest in students and ensure they have access to the same opportunities that helped shape their own careers.
“It’s that extra experience students get here–the kind you don’t get everywhere else,” Steven said. “If we can help even one student have that opportunity, then it’s worth it.”