TTU awarded $50K to increase civil engineering enrollment

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Terracon foundation awarded Texas Tech University’s Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering $50,000 on Friday, to go towards their student scholarship fund.

Terracon is an engineering consulting firm that started the Terracon Foundation with the goal to be a part of the communities where they live and work. Representatives from Terracon said it is a critical component of their organization, to invest in the future of engineers by making education affordable.

“We feel like our obligation as civil engineers in the community is to give back and ensure we have really good communities in the future,” Terracon Senior Principal Erin Loyd said.

That desire to give back inspired their partnership with the Edward E. Whitacre jr. College of Engineering at Texas Tech University. The money will be used to help students with specializations in civil engineering.

“It’s a really important part of the education system. It enables a lot of students who may otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to go to a university to be able to pursue a degree,” Interim Department Chair of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, Andrew Jackson said.

Jackson said there is a declining trend in enrollment for engineering and there is a huge need for young people to go into the field. They are hopeful this grant will encourage and allow more students to go into the civil engineering field with less financial burden.

“We’re the engineering that makes lives possible, makes society work, so being able to make that educational opportunity more affordable and more accessible is critical,” Jackson said.

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