Honoring A Society of Excellence in Engineering

November 4, 2014 | LSU Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

On October 23, 2014, the LSU College of Engineering inducted new alumni and friends to the Society for Engineering Excellence. Each member of the Society helps ensure the College is positioned to educate the best future engineers through their philanthropic commitment to support students, faculty, and research.

“The generosity of LSU’s Society for Engineering Excellence members is integral in providing state-of-the art resources to educate the next generation of computer scientists, construction managers and engineers,” said Rick Koubek, dean, LSU College of Engineering. “As champions of our program, the members’ association also helps propel the College’s research initiatives and recruit top faculty.”

2014 LSU College of Engineering’s Society for Engineering Excellence inductees:

Oscar “Dub” Andras, a 1957 chemical engineering alumnus, and wife Mary, of the Andras Foundation, have been strong supporters of the Cain Department of Chemical Engineering.

BASF Corporation, a strategic partner that has supported scholarships, professorships and student organization initiatives, recently announced a contribution to establish a sustainable living laboratory, the first of its kind at LSU and the Southeast region.

Rene R. Joyce, a 1970 mechanical engineering alumnus and the executive chairman of Targa Resources, and his wife Kay have endorsed the engineering campus expansion.

The Guidry Foundation was established by Mark and the late Carolyn Guidry, and their children and spouses: Gayle and John Dilley, Mike and Barbara Guidry and David and Jennifer Guidry. The Foundation presented transformative contributions for the Division of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the College of Engineering.  

MMR Group, Inc. provided a philanthropic gift to establish two new laboratories:  a building simulation and information modeling studio, and an advanced materials and methods laboratory. The labs will help prepare LSU construction management students for career advancement.

James “Pepper” Rutland, president, MMR Group, Inc. and 1972 LSU construction technology alumnus remarked about joining the society. “MMR is proud to join this esteemed group who support LSU’s College of Engineering and its mission to deliver a world class education in an environment that promotes innovation and leadership.”

About the Society for Engineering Excellence

Founded in 2008, LSU’s Society for Engineering Excellence is comprised of members who have made lifetime commitments of $1 million or more to LSU’s College of Engineering.

About the LSU College of Engineering

Founded in 1908, the LSU College of Engineering offers eleven undergraduate degree programs and confers approximately 650 bachelor’s degrees per year, ranking it in the top ten percent nationally for graduates. In 2014, it became the largest academic college at LSU, the largest engineering program in Louisiana and the 18th largest in the nation. One hundred and forty four faculty members engage in education, research, and commercialization with a strategic focus on research indigenous to Louisiana: energy, manufacturing, natural & built infrastructure, computation, biotechnology.

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For more information contact Mimi LaValle, mlavall@lsu.edu 225-578-5706