Latest news with #UTPB
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ExxonMobil donates $100K to help launch UTPB civil engineering program
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.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
UTPB honors teacher residency students at pinning ceremony
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The University of Texas Permian Basin recently honored eight teacher residency students at a pinning ceremony. According to organizers, this is the first time a ceremony has been held for these students in the five years of the program. Students in the teacher residency program are employed full-time by a local school district and work in a classroom for two semesters with a mentor teacher. 'UTPB has a teacher residency program that we do,' said Marsha Bridges, the Teacher Education and Teacher Residency Site Coordinator. 'This is the fifth year that we've implemented this program. Teachers start, the school district actually employs them as a teacher resident, and they start at the very beginning. As soon as the teachers are supposed to show up, our teacher residents are there. They help prepare the classroom, help put the routines in place, and they slowly start co-teaching with that mentor teacher. It is a year long program, it's not a typical 16 week program that your regular student teachers do.' After completing the teacher residency seminar, students are certified and ready to teach in their own classrooms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dunn makes the switch from business to UTPB
May 2—Throughout his life, Rusty Dunn has given back to his community and now he's doing it from the higher education stage as University of Texas Permian Basin's Development Coordinator. A native of Odessa, Dunn lived in the Midland and Dallas areas before returning home. He owned a Chick-fil-A franchise for 20 years. Dunn said he had a "kind of semi-retirement" in August 2024. He decided to part ways because he and his wife were about to become empty nesters and he wanted to try something new. "This is very different than what I had done in the past and so just kind of looking for a new adventure," Dunn said. His job involves fundraising, but Dunn said there are a lot of things going on. "There's capital campaign projects. We work with scholarships and endowments and professorships. We work with the deans of the different colleges to make sure that all of the money that has been promised is brought in, given, given out to the student ... following it all the way through," Dunn said. He added that they have two staff members on the team who make sure they're in compliance. Although he hasn't been at UTPB very long, Dunn said he has absolutely loved it. "The amount of generosity in this community is unbelievable, and when you're working with people that are so anxious to, one, be generous for the good of the community. ... Not only does it help the students, it's helping the community overall. It's just a really neat thing," Dunn said. Proverbs 11:25 says, "Whoever brings blessings will be enriched and one who waters will himself be watered." "I think that's something that you always should do is keep God's money in circulation. I'm not taking anything with me when I leave and so whatever I can do to help people ... I had the pastor of the church that I grew up in, he always said, You never see a hearse with a U-Haul behind it headed to the cemetery. ... My wife and I have always tried to be as generous as possible. The people that we're getting to work with and companies ... there's an enormous amount of generosity in this community," Dunn said. One of the big things he is working on with others are capital campaigns. Having been in business so long in Odessa, he's built relationships — whether with Chick-fil-A or his church, First Baptist — and that is helping with fundraising. He has known Vice President for External Relations Advancement Jacqui Gore for more than 25 years and knows her family. "She has always been somebody that I've admired ... This just kind of rolled into that," Dunn said. Asked how what he's doing now is different than Chick-fil-A, he said Chick-fil-A typically leads with food — providing lunches, for example. "That would be probably the biggest scenario just on a much smaller scale, dollar-wise, than what we're doing here. If we donated a meal ... and here we're dealing with thousands of dollars. ... One of the things that we try to do is have an impact on people, and that was the reason why I was at the ECISD thing was just an impact. How do you do that? So many of my team members from over there either they didn't have a great home life and so we were able to make an impact on them in a very positive way with what we were doing," Dunn said. That included the people he worked with and the people they served. Some people ate with them three to six times a week. "We get to know who they are. We get to know what their order is. That's John. That's a number one with no pickles and a large Dr Pepper. And, you know, so whenever you're able to have what we would call a relational scenario versus a transactional, it makes all the difference in the world," Dunn said. The other part, he said, is that everyone has a story of where they came from and their life experiences. "That was one of the things that we always try to share with with our team members. You never know what has just happened to that person before they came in, they may have gotten a phone call that somebody's died, or somebody's lost their job, or they're now getting a divorce, or their son is getting shipped off to war or you just never know. Those were the kind of things that we tried to teach our team members to be able to really reach in with folks," Dunn said. Dunn earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Texas Tech University. He got into restaurant work because he needed a job. "And according to John Maxwell, job stands for just over broke. I was actually one of five members of my family that worked for Chick-fil-A when we were in high school. I worked a year at Chick-fil-A in the mall in Midland, and then when we moved to Dallas, I went to work for another Chick-fil-A for five more years while I was in high school and college," Dunn said. He added that being a person of faith, it appealed to him that they were closed on Sunday. He and his wife Heather have two daughters. Gore is glad to have Dunn on board. "We're excited to have Rusty on the External Relations team. He brings 30 years of business experience and solid Permian Basin relationships to this role. Rusty loves people and that's what our work is all about," Gore said.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Midland College helps tackle teacher shortages in the Basin
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Midland College recently hosted a job fair with plenty of resources for students interested in becoming educators. Shelly Haney, the Executive Director of Teacher Preparation & Childcare at Midland College, said teachers play a critical role in shaping future generations. 'I know right now education doesn't have the greatest reputation, but it is a very rewarding, family-friendly career that I would encourage anyone who has a heart for children to seriously consider,' said Haney. Midland College also offers programs like the Teacher Incentive Allotment and Opportunity Culture so teachers can earn a sustainable income, and get a direct pathway to their profession. 'We have an Associate of Arts teaching degree that students can earn here at Midland College,' said Haney. 'And then we have really strong relationships with university partners for them to transfer to finish their bachelor's degree and teacher certification.' Midland College also partnered with UTPB to strengthen the pathway for future educators. The benefits of the partnership include: A clear and seamless pathway from dual credit to an associate degree at Midland College straight to completing a bachelor's degree at UTPB A streamlined pathway to get into the classroom as an educator quickly Early and continuous advising through students' academic plan Access to scholarships designated for this pathway and partnership Shared data to measure student progress, outcomes and make adjustments if needed Access to practical learning experiences through observation hours at the Midland College's state-of-the art Pre-K Academy and training site Shared faculty allows the ability to offer in-person and hybrid class options, for maximum flexibility for students Host sites for Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) meetings Students at Midland ISD also have support from Midland College. 'We work with Midland ISD. I'm lucky to get to be involved with their 'TAFE,' the Texas Association of Future Educators programs in three high schools here in Midland. So that gives me a chance to meet students who are aspiring to be educators, plug in with them, and encourage them to start their next steps at Midland College,' said Haney. You can read more about Haney's work at Midland College by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UTPB student wins national award from American Association of Professional Landmen
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – University of Texas Permian Basin Energy Land Management Senior, Parker Goin, has been awarded the American Association of Professional Landmen Outstanding Graduate Award. According to officials at UTPB, Goin was selected as a finalist from a competitive pool of students nominated by accredited universities nationwide, including Texas Tech University, West Virginia University, the University of Texas at Austin, and many others. Goin was selected for the award in February at the Nape Summit in Houston, a marketplace for the energy industry. He was nominated by UTPB Energy Land Management Coordinator Katharine Harrell. The award is a meaningful tradition among AAPL's accredited undergraduate programs and highlights the impact graduates will have on the industry. To be selected, Goin submitted an essay and was interviewed by board members. 'Post UTPB, I tell people, God willing, I'll be in the Permian Basin for the next 60 years. I'll be here for as long as I can, managing surface and minerals, and just giving back to the community and watching it grow. There's a lot of great things happening out here, and that's a nice thing about being an energy land management student, is we are involved in the community and giving back,' said Goin. You can read more about Goin's award here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
