ASU Receives $500K Gift for New Endowed Professorship

SAN ANGELO, TX - Angelo State University has received a $500,000 gift from an anonymous donor to establish the new David L. Hirschfeld Endowed Professorship in Engineering within the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering.

An endowed professorship is a prestigious academic appointment that provides the selected faculty member with funding to advance scholarly research and support student professional development. The new David L. Hirschfeld Professorship aims to recruit and retain an exceptional engineering faculty member who will:

• Advance curriculum development and collaboration across engineering disciplines.
• Strengthen the foundation for future academic expansion, including potential growth into additional engineering disciplines.
• Support Angelo State's ability to attract high-achieving students and prepare them to be practice-ready engineers immediately upon graduation.

"This is an exciting milestone for Angelo State and the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering," said Dr. Rasit Koc, department chair. "This endowed professorship represents a transformational investment in the future of engineering at ASU. It strengthens our ability to recruit and retain outstanding faculty members who will inspire innovation in the classroom, advance meaningful research and prepare our students to excel as practice-ready engineers."

"We are extremely grateful to our anonymous donor for their visionary commitment to Angelo State," Koc added. "The impact of their gift will also enhance our reputation as a destination for high-quality engineering education, strengthen ASU's ability to meet the workforce demands of West Texas and beyond, and create new opportunities for collaboration with industry partners. This will benefit generations of students, as well as contribute to the economic success of the region."

ASU's David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering currently offers bachelor's degrees in civil engineering and mechanical engineering, and both programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The central hub of the department is the state-of-the-art Hunter Strain Engineering Labs, a $4.5 million facility that houses the Wind Tunnel, Hydraulics Lab, Geotechnical Lab, Construction Materials Lab, Engineering Mechanics Lab, Materials Testing Lab and Student Capstone Projects Lab. It is also the home base for the department's student organizations, including the Rockets, Steel Bridge and Baja teams.

The continued growth of the department is highlighted by a 12% enrollment increase for the 2025-26 academic year, and the department has set the ambitious goal of launching graduate degree programs and producing 100 practice-ready engineers annually by 2030. Continued investment in faculty excellence, curriculum development and strategic growth will be critical to achieving this goal.

The significant impact the new endowed chair will have on the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering is also a prime example of why securing this type of funding to support faculty excellence and program development remains one of the top priorities of ASU's ongoing "Leading the Charge" capital campaign.

More details on the campaign and ways to contribute are available online at angelo.edu/leading-the-charge or by calling the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at 325-942-2116.