A longtime supporter of scholarships in the College of Engineering, Jay Culbertson has been instrumental in the early success and growth of Oregon State University’s architectural engineering program. He and his wife Leslie provided unrestricted support for the burgeoning program and established the Culbertson Faculty Scholar Endowment Fund in 2021. This endowment supports faculty in Civil and Construction Engineering, with a focus on architectural engineering faculty.

Part of a multigenerational Beaver family, Culbertson earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1972. After getting hands-on experience in the sheet metal industry through a four-year apprenticeship, Culbertson joined, and later took over leadership of, his father’s company, Temp Control Mechanical (TCM), an HVAC contractor in Portland. With Culbertson’s strategy, engineering and financial know-how, the company grew into one of the largest mechanical contractors in the Pacific Northwest. It eventually became a subsidiary of Southland Industries, one of the nation’s largest mechanical, electrical and plumbing building systems contracting firms. Culbertson went on to serve as Executive Vice President of Southland before retiring in 2019. He began supporting OSU after hiring several outstanding graduates who continued with his companies for many years.