Neel Mehta
CH2M has pledged a donation of $1 million to create an endowed professorship within the Oregon State University’s College of Engineering.
The company said Thursday an endowed professor will be appointed to teach at the college for a term of up to five years through the CH2M Hill Professorship in Civil Engineering Fund.
Scott Ashford, dean of OSU College of Engineering and a 10-year CH2M veteran, said endowment will support faculty practicing in research and innovation, transformational education and inclusivity and collaboration.
Ellen Sandberg, vice president of community investment and executive director of the CH2M Foundation, said the donation underscores the company’s efforts to invest in the future workforce supporting the industry and the talent pipeline of its clients.
“We are honored to preserve CH2M’s legacy at OSU, where our company was born,” Sandberg added.
The company and the university exercise a strategic partnership wherein faculty serve as CH2m project consultants and employees serve as adjunct faculty.
Some OSU graduates joined CH2M and advanced to leadership positions such as Ralph Peterson, who worked with the company while he was still studying at the university and later served as CEO of the company for 12 years.
CH2M agreed to be acquired by Jacobs Engineering Group through an approximately $3.27 billion deal both companies announced in early August.
