46°
46º | 71°
Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) has received a nearly $1.2 million multi-year donation from Houston-based exploration and production company ConocoPhillips, according to a press release.
The university, which is 48 miles northwest of Houston, said the donation consists of in-kind equipment and monetary contributions that will go toward the development of undergraduate students’ skills in engineering and business analytics.
Per the release, the donation earmarks $498,000 in in-kind lab equipment donations made two years ago for the College of Engineering; $200,000 for the completion of the ConocoPhillips engineering lab; $300,000 to boost enrollment and award scholarships for the business analytics minor in the College of Business; and $200,000 for similar efforts for the engineering and business Summer Bridge Program.
“We are honored to help advance engineering and business analytics at PVAMU and to equip the next generation with the skills necessary to challenge themselves, innovate in their fields and develop new approaches to real-world problems,” ConocoPhillips Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Real Estate and Facilities Services Heather Sirdashney said in the release.
ConocoPhillips business capabilities manager Cassandra Corley said in the release that a number of the company’s “top talent” are PVAMU graduates.
“We’re proud to continue supporting the university and its students through this investment,” Corley said.
PVAMU said the donation is an example of the annual support it receives from ConocoPhillips.
University president Dr. Ruth Simmons credited the historically black school’s partnership with ConocoPhillips for its ability to produce “top engineering talent.”
“From providing scholarship opportunities to increasing our faculty capacity to investing in the infrastructure of our new state-of-the-art engineering building, ConocoPhillips is furthering its commitment to PVAMU, and our students will be all the better for it,” Simmons said in the release.