In 2010 OSU received commitments of $1.1 million to rename and almost double the endowment of an existing faculty chair in the College of Engineering. The chair, previously named the Construction Education Foundation Chair, was originally funded by 120 OSU engineering alumni and industry partners. It was renamed in honor of Hal Pritchett, a civil and construction engineering emeritus faculty member who was instrumental in founding OSU’s Construction Engineering Management program in 1969.

The new gifts included a $300,000 commitment from Mike Phelps, a 1976 OSU civil engineering alumnus and an executive vice president at Kiewit Construction Company, and his wife, Terri. Their gift helped leverage a $500,000 grant from The Beavers Charitable Trust. The Beavers is a California-based membership association of heavy engineering construction companies and individuals, which funds programs and scholarships that assist students entering the industry.

Prior to joining the faculty at OSU, Pritchett worked for the Bureau of Public Roads and the Army Corps of Engineers, and served in the U.S. Army in Japan and the Philippines. He was on the OSU faculty for 45 years before retiring in 2002. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from OSU and the degree of engineer in economic planning from Stanford. Among numerous other honors, he received the prestigious Golden Beaver Award from The Beavers and the 2016 Dan Poling Service Award from the OSU Alumni Association.

Current Faculty Holder

David Trejo