Tyler Engineering Firm Gifts $100,000 to UT Tyler

Office of Marketing and Communications

April 26, 2022

Media Contact: Beverley Golden
Senior Director of Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.566.7303

The University of Texas at Tyler recently announced a $100,000 gift from EMA Engineering and Consulting to establish the EMA Engineering and Consulting Dean’s Legacy Projects Endowment to support special projects of the College of Engineering.

“If not for the UT Tyler College of Engineering, EMA would not be where we are today,” said Mike Clendenin, PE, EMA president/CEO and UT Tyler alum. “I see it as the life blood of our future, so we’re very excited to lend our support.”

The Tyler-based company currently employs 27 UT Tyler graduates and approximately eight student interns.
“This is a very meaningful and important gift from one of our own, and we are very grateful to Mike and EMA.

You cannot have a great university without great support and great philanthropy. This gift is a classic example of that symbiotic relationship,” said Kirk A. Calhoun, MD, FACP, UT Tyler president.

The endowment will fund College of Engineering infrastructure and facility needs. The college works with students to design useful projects such as a remotely-accessible, table-top wind tunnel system for the thermal-fluids lab and a golf cart bay.

“Legacy Projects enable the college to make critical enhancements to its facilities while providing students engaging enrichment experiences that improve their career readiness,” Javier Kypuros, PhD, College of Engineering dean said. “This gift is just a part of what Mike and EMA have done for UT Tyler through the years, and we are eternally grateful.”

One of the first graduates of the UT Tyler mechanical engineering program, Clendenin has served the College of Engineering on the Department of Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and the Advisory Council. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Engineering Graduate Award.

This gift also names the College of Engineering Ratliff Building South fourth floor terrace the EMA Engineering and Consulting Terrace.

“The terrace overlooks Harvey Lake and is a perfect space for students to study or relax,” said Kypuros.

With a mission to improve educational and healthcare outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs to 10,000 students. UT Tyler recently merged with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (now known as UT Tyler Health Science Center). Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center (HSC) and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.