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STEPHENVILLE – Texas A&M University’s System Board of Regents approved a naming in honor of Tarleton State University’s longtime benefactor, Saint-Gobain Abrasives Inc. The Stephenville-based company recently made a donation to the School of Engineering.
A ceremony to name the Saint-Gobain Conference Room (Engineering Building 225) and recognize the company for its philanthropic support, community engagement and higher education commitment is scheduled for later this year.
“Saint-Gobain’s generosity will enable us to further strengthen one of the most prestigious engineering programs in North Texas,” said James Hurley, President of Tarleton. “It will help us train professional engineers, strengthen innovative research and expand the regional economy. We are very thankful.”
Saint-Gobain has donated generously over the years to fund art shows, equestrian therapy, athletics, and the Dick Smith Library. The company has a long history in the community sponsoring Tarleton’s annual summer camp for budding engineers in sixth through ninth grades.
Hurley noted that the number of engineering and technology students at Tarleton has doubled in 10 years and that enrollment is forecast to continue to grow.
“Corporate and business partners like Saint-Gobain give our students the opportunity to solve practical challenges in their senior year,” he said. “No wonder Tarleton’s engineering graduates are in high demand.”
Four of Saint-Gobain’s current interns are Tarleton Texans. Austin Lay, senior mechanical engineer, appreciates getting hands-on experience before graduation. “We are working on projects with engineers from Saint-Gobain. After a while we are not just ‘the interns’, but like engineers ourselves. “
“Our partnership with Saint-Gobain offers our students and lecturers opportunities to collaborate with industry,” said Dr. Denise Martinez, Assistant Dean of the Tarleton School of Engineering. “Several of our engineering and engineering technology students and alumni enjoy successful careers at Saint-Gobain. I’m looking forward to our future together. “
The growth of the School of Engineering programs – 12 undergraduate and graduate degrees – supports the 60×30 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s priority that 60 percent of young adults in Texas will graduate by 2030.
“We are honored to be part of the transformation of Tarleton,” said Hilary Stephans, Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Saint-Gobain. “We had a front row seat for the energy and growth of the School of Engineering and the opportunities that come from it.”
Stephans said she envisions that one day Tarleton will become “the absolute top engineering school”. In 2021, US News & World Report ranked the school among the top 200 in the country, positioning the university as a leader in engineering education and research.
Tarleton’s three-story state-of-the-art engineering building opened in 2019 and represents a solid investment by the Legislature, Texas A&M University System and Tarleton to meet the demand for highly skilled professionals. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, engineering employment is expected to grow 3% over the next few years and create 75,000 jobs nationwide.
“Anyone with an engineering degree from Tarleton State University has a bright future,” said Hurley. “We are delighted to have Saint-Gobain on this trip.”
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