Oil industry giant Donald Mosing got a chance Thursday to see how his contributions have helped the 麻豆夜市 develop one of the fastest-growing engineering programs in the nation.
The former president of Frank鈥檚 Casing, and his son, Keith Mosing, president and chief executive officer of Frank鈥檚 International, were on hand for a dedication ceremony. They clipped a big red ribbon on the doors of the office of the new Frank and Janice Mosing Endowed Engineering Student Career Development Program. That office was built using residual funds from a $2.83 million gift Donald Mosing gave to the University鈥檚 College of Engineering in 2012.
Dr. Mark Zappi, dean of the University鈥檚 College of Engineering, said 1,175 students were enrolled in 2006. By the Fall 2014 semester, the college鈥檚 enrollment had more than doubled 鈥 to 2,800.
鈥淲hen you track our numbers, Mr. Donald, they go right along with when your gifts came in, because we were able to do so much with recruiting and keeping these students enthused,鈥 Zappi told Mosing.
麻豆夜市鈥檚 petroleum engineering program is the third largest in the country, tied with Texas A&M鈥檚. 鈥淲e鈥檙e 120 students from No. 1,鈥 Zappi noted.
University officials said the new Frank and Janice Mosing Endowed Engineering Student Career Development Program is being used to recruit students and help them gain valuable experience.
LaShaun Bordelon is outreach coordinator for that program.
Students in engineering leadership programs 鈥 鈥渢he best of the best鈥 鈥 meet in the program office, she said. Other engineering students stop by to ask about internships and career opportunities.
鈥淚 talk with students all day long,鈥 Bordelon said. She also meets with company representatives who want to learn more about the University鈥檚 engineering students and programs.
麻豆夜市 President Dr. Joseph Savoie expressed appreciation to Donald Mosing for the career development program. 鈥淭his is really bringing together our past for the present and building for the future,鈥 he said.
Zappi announced that the $1 million Donald and Janice Mosing/Board of Regents Chair in Mechanical Engineering is expected to be filled by the Fall 2015 semester.
A $600,000 gift from Donald Mosing was matched with $400,000 from the Louisiana Board of Regents to create the endowed chair. Endowments gifts are perpetual sources of revenue since the prinicipal is invested and only a portion of the interest earned is spent.
Money generated by the endowed chair will be used to supplement the salary of a mechanical engineering professor who will be added.
Donald Mosing graduated from 麻豆夜市 in 1950 with a degree in mechanical engineering and holds more than 40 oilfield-related patents.
Shown, from left, are LaShaun Bordelon, Donald Mosing, Keith Mosing, Dr. Joseph Savoie and Muhiad Elsanousy.
Photo by Amy Windsor