Alumnus gives $5 million to advance civil engineering at Clemson
September 22, 2011
CLEMSON, SC – September 22, 2011 – A $5 million gift from a civilengineering alumnus and his wife will help Clemson University addressone of the largest problems the nation faces in the 21st century: therebuilding of America’s infrastructure.
Whatever the future mayhold, it is certain the coming decades will require unparalleled talentand expertise in engineering and construction across the spectrum — fromenergy and transportation to housing and manufacturing, said Gerald M.Glenn, a 1964 Clemson alumnus and former executive of internationalengineering firms. We are honored to be able to participate in this wayin the development of the next generation of engineers.
The unrestricted gift from Gerald and Candice W. Glenn is the largest gift from an alumnus in Clemson’s The Will to Lead capital campaign to raise $600 million to support students and faculty withscholarships, professorships, facilities, technology and enhancedopportunities for learning and research. The gift also provides for thefirst named department in the campaign. The department from which Glenngraduated will bear his name.
We are proud to have the Glennname associated with Clemson, said President James F. Barker. Not onlyprofessionally, but also personally, Gerald and Candi are exceptionalrole models for the students in the Glenn Department of CivilEngineering.
Gerald served as chairman, president and CEO of theChicago Bridge & Iron Company B.V., a multinational engineering,procurement and construction company. He previously was a director ofFluor Corp. and a group president of its primary subsidiary, FluorDaniel Inc.
An attorney, Candice is a graduate of the University of California-Irvine and Southwestern Law School.
TheGlenns have been active contributors to the College of Engineering andScience Leadership Circle and other projects, including the Fluor DanielEngineering Innovation Center. Their $5 million gift will createscholarships and fellowships, support collaborative learning workspaceand seminars, attract and retain top faculty and develop a program thatwill help engineering students gain a global perspective, said NadimAziz, department chairman.
This will help us mold the futureleaders of civil engineering, Aziz said. As we face more pressingproblems with our infrastructure, our graduates will need the broadeducation that will make them the problem solvers of the future. Thisgift will help us create the environment necessary for students,faculty, government and industry partners to come together to discussideas for solutions to our failing infrastructure.
It iscritical that Clemson build on its strengths in engineering and scienceto meet the needs of our economy and our nation. Our experience insustainable and resilient infrastructure is a key, Glenn said. Clemsonis in a unique position to prepare our engineering students for a roleof leading a cooperative environment with construction, manufacturing,materials, environment and management in the coming decades. We areproud to contribute to the continuing advancement of civil engineeringat Clemson toward reaching its rightful leadership position.
With500 undergraduate and 125 graduate students, the department has fiveNational Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows, three U.S.Department of Transportation Eisenhower Fellowships and six privatelyfunded graduate fellowships. Its student Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridgecompetition teams have earned national championships for theuniversity, and Clemson will host the national Steel Bridge competitionin 2012.
The Glenns make philanthropy a priority. Gerald servesas vice chairman of The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas, andis on the board of the Montgomery County Women’s Center and St. Luke’sHospital. Candice served as chairman of the board and was instrumentalin rebuilding the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, a 16,000-seat outdooramphitheater north of Houston, after it was severely damaged byHurricane Ike in 2008. She was recently recognized as a Hometown Hero inThe Woodlands.
The Glenns have chaired the Heart Ballfundraiser in Chicago and The Woodlands, and Gerald chaired themetropolitan Chicago board of directors of the American HeartAssociation.
In the coming year, Gerald will serve on the President’s Advisory Board at Clemson.
Gerald and Candi are a credit to the communities they serve,including Clemson, Barker said. Their professional achievements areoutstanding, but their gifts of time and resources to so many importantcauses show their vision for the future and commitment to helpingothers.
The Glenns live in The Woodlands. They have two sons.Mike is a freshman engineering major at Clemson; Charlie is a sophomoreat The John Cooper School. Gerald’s daughter, Gina, is director ofoperations for Homes & Land magazine.
