May 22—ExxonMobil on Thursday donated $100,000 to the University of Texas Permian Basin’s fledgling civil engineering program.
The check ceremony took place in the UTPB Engineering Building. The company has long been an important partner and employer in the Permian Basin and Southeastern New Mexico. They have hired UTPB graduates and see the importance of UTPB to their success, Vice President for External Relations Jacqui Gore said.
Chad McNeely, ExxonMobil operations manager in this area, said he started his career as a civil engineer many years ago.
“This program will not only provide additional educational opportunities, but will help lay a foundation for a brighter future for all of West Texas. Civil engineers are pivotal and create the world in which we live by designing sustainable solutions that meet the critical infrastructure needs, like water resource management and transportation. That infrastructure is essential to sustain economic growth and provide an enhanced quality of life to our communities out here in the Permian Basin,” McNeely said.
Investing in this program, he said, is an investment in leaders who will innovate and help develop the region.
“The graduates of this program will leave with technical expertise that comes with a quality education, but also an understanding of some of the unique infrastructure challenges we face out here in West Texas. These engineers will be able to tailor their projects to meet the specific needs of the community that will drive economic improvement and they’ll bring jobs to the area,” McNeely said.
Gore said the university really appreciates the investment of ExxonMobil, along with Grow Odessa and longtime Odessa civil engineer John Landgraf which brings the total raised for the civil engineering program to $600,000.
UTPB President Sandra Woodley said they need to raise about $6 million over the next five years for start-up costs and faculty. About $2 million of that is for instruments.
Woodley said they already have several partners who have stepped up.
“We’re confident we’re going to be able to get the support we need and we’re going to start the program this fall,” she added.
The funds will be used to purchase needed equipment for laboratories and classrooms and provide scholarships to students in the program.
Rajalingam Dakshinamurthy, UTPB Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, said the bachelor’s degree in civil engineering program is specifically built for the needs of the Permian Basin, rapid growth and the area’s environment.
“Within next four years, we want to maintain an average of 60 students enrolled and (majoring) in civil engineering and graduate a minimum of 20 every year, starting in 2029. That’s our ultimate goal,” Dakshinamurthy said.
“Within that $6 million, approximately $2 million is going toward those instruments the students can have access to and flexible delivery,” Dakshinamurthy said.
Another goal moving forward with all the programs they are developing is to provide flexible options for students such as hybrid and after-hours classes.
“As you all know, most of our graduates work for you all either part-time or full time. We want to make sure we are flexible with respect to the course offerings. Our people and promise, what we do, we hire great faculty,” Dakshinamurthy said.
He added that everyone played a significant role in pulling this together the last four years.
Woodley said when she thinks of the university it sometimes feels like “The Little Engine That Could.”
“We’re not the largest institution. We don’t have major research programs, but what we do focus on is making sure that this region has the graduates that it needs to fuel this economy. This economy is pretty special, right? We know that there’s a vast number of degrees that are needed out here, and civil engineering is squarely in this high demand gap. We’re excited to be able to step up and fill that gap,” Woodley said.
Tyler Yancey, a petroleum engineer with ExxonMobil, said UTPB’s engineering program has grown substantially since he was a student at the school. He speaks to students there all the time.
Yancey said the program helped prepare him for his job.
“(It) taught me how to solve problems. That’s what we do every day,” Yancey said.
McNeely said there are many opportunities for civil engineers in the Permian Basin from structural to having sufficient amounts of quality water for years and years to come and challenges with road and highway networks. These are some of the “front and center” issues that local talent is needed to help solve, he said.
Woodley said UTPB has four “amazing” engineering programs that are all fully accredited.
“Adding civil engineering really is our opportunity to meet the needs of the region. We know there is a critical shortage of civil engineers out here, and this program that we’re starting up this fall will allow us to … graduate 20 civil engineers every single year. The startup is going to be important for us, and ExxonMobil has provided $100,000 to help us start this program,” Woodley said.
The civil engineering program starts this fall. Woodley said they hope to have 40 students in the pipeline relatively soon. Woodley said they have already hired some of the faculty and received a gift from Grow Odessa last year to hire the starting faculty.
