Angelo State University Announces Gift and Naming of Department of Engineering

A press release today from Angelo State University announced that at its May 20 meeting, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents approved the naming of ASU’s Department of Civil Engineering as the “David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering.”

The action comes with acceptance of an endowed gift of $1 million from David and Judith Hirschfeld. The endowment will help support the ongoing needs of a growing engineering program at Angelo State.

 “Even as I am personally truly honored to have received this naming recognition, the credit is totally founded in my faith that God was guiding me along the way,” David Hirschfeld said. “Secondly, I have been blessed in being nurtured in a loving family relationship with my wife, Judith, and five children. And lastly, I was blessed to have had so many dedicated faculty members in the engineering department at Texas Tech pushing me along the difficult pathway to earning my Texas Tech civil engineering degree.”

After David Hirschfeld graduated from Texas Tech University in 1962, he joined the family-owned business, Hirschfeld Steel. He grew the company significantly and has demonstrated great commitment to community service in San Angelo.

“David, Judith and the Hirschfeld family have long been advocates and philanthropists in the San Angelo community,” ASU President Brian J. May said. “This endowment will be a driving force in growing and diversifying our engineering program.”

In May 2014, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents approved the addition of the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree at ASU. In April 2015, the program received final approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The first class of engineering students began courses in August 2015.

Dr. William Kitch, department chair for engineering, said, “We’re honored to be known as the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering. This is a very generous donation from one of San Angelo’s industry leaders and will go a long way in helping us to reach our goal to be the premier undergraduate engineering program in Texas.”