WSU announces record-setting gift for engineering
“We are grateful for the leadership this generous investment represents and look forward to seeing it make a tangible difference in the educational experience for students for decades to come,” Schulz added.
In recognition of this transformational contribution from the Schweitzers and SEL, WSU will name the new facility Schweitzer Engineering Hall. This investment represents the single-largest philanthropic commitment received by the Voiland College and is among the largest private investments in WSU history.
“Education leads to dreams, innovations, and new realities. WSU professors Mosher, Szablya, Baker, Flechsig, Hower, Seamans, Rigas, and many others opened my mind and the minds of thousands of students,” said SEL President Edmund O. Schweitzer III. “Beatriz and I are grateful for this opportunity to grow the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.”
According to SEL Chief Executive Officer Dave Whitehead, this commitment represents an exciting new chapter in a long-standing and successful partnership with WSU.
“SEL is pleased to partner with Ed and Beatriz to make this significant investment in engineering students at WSU,” said Whitehead. “Our connection with the university runs deep, from Ed’s days as a WSU grad student and professor, to many years of research collaborations. Hundreds of Cougs have joined SEL and contributed to our collective success over the years, with nearly 450 WSU alums currently employed by SEL.”
“The new building and the learning opportunities that come with it will increase WSU’s pipeline of engineering students and create a new legacy of exceptional engineering education for decades to come,” Whitehead added.
Event photos
Opening doors for future engineers and designers
By design, Schweitzer Engineering Hall will evolve to meet the changing needs of our students and the industries they are preparing to lead for generations to come. We are excited to share this vision with Ed, Beatriz, and SEL.”
Voiland College Dean Mary Rezac
When completed, the state-of-the-art facility will house innovative and flexible classrooms, student collaboration and club activity zones, first-year student engagement studios and senior capstone project design spaces, and centers for academic advising, tutoring, and career counseling.
Voiland College Dean Mary Rezac notes that demand for engineers, computer scientists, construction managers, and design graduates is at an all-time high. As that demand grows, so has enrollment in the college, which has increased to more than 5,000 undergraduate students.
“Voiland College provides an exceptional pathway to education and opportunity for thousands of students every year,” said Rezac. “However, our ability to continue delivering the very best engineering and design experiences is increasingly challenged by outdated classrooms and learning environments, many of which were constructed or last renovated more than 60 years ago.”
Rezac added: “By design, Schweitzer Engineering Hall will evolve to meet the changing needs of our students and the industries they are preparing to lead for generations to come. We are excited to share this vision with Ed, Beatriz, and SEL.”
Fundraising momentum grows
A long-standing collaboration between WSU, the Schweitzers and SEL
WSU has enjoyed a robust partnership with the Schweitzers and SEL for many years. Over the past three decades, the Schweitzers and the Pullman-based company previously have together contributed more than $4.3 million to WSU. That support has spread across nearly every WSU campus and college, as well as signature programs like Extension, Northwest Public Broadcasting, and International Programs. It also includes the creation of the Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems in the Voiland College with a $1.5 million commitment in 2017.
After completing his doctorate at WSU in 1977, Schweitzer was a member of the faculty at WSU and Ohio University before starting his business, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, in the basement of his Pullman home. In 1982, he left the university to devote his efforts full time to growing the Pullman-based company into a leading designer and manufacturer of digital protective relays for monitoring and control of electric power systems. Nearly every utility in North America uses SEL products, which can also be found in industrial and commercial power applications in 168 countries. SEL is also one of the region’s largest employers, with more than 5,400 employees worldwide.
Schweitzer is a recipient of WSU’s highest alumni honor, the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), an honor bestowed on less than 1 percent of the association’s membership. In 2012, he received the group’s highest award, the Medal in Power Engineering, for leadership in revolutionizing the performance of electrical power systems with computer-based protection and control equipment. In 2019, Schweitzer was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a recipient of WSU’s Alumni Achievement Award and Purdue University’s Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award.
