FOUNDATIONS
A pair for professors
Frank and Doris Culberson, who just established two new endowed professorships, are serious about giving back to the College.
Frank and Doris Culberson have made giving to the College of Engineering a lifetime commitment.
The couple has hosted two “Meet the Dean” alumni events. They often house NC State staff members at their Houston home when staff work in east Texas. Frank Culberson has long served on NC State leadership boards, and he’s devoted countless hours visiting alumni to talk up the College and the university.
“My NC State engineering education contributed a great deal to where I am today,” said Frank Culberson, a chemical engineering alumnus. “We like to support things that are worthwhile, and this is a worthy program in which to be involved.”
The couple’s most recent contribution provides ample evidence of that commitment. They have pledged $1 million over five years to establish two professorships in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
The gift will be supplemented by contributions from the state’s Distinguished Professorship Endowment Trust Fund, bringing the total donation to $1.5 million. One professorship will help recruit or retain a senior faculty member, while the second could be filled by another established professor or a rising star in the field.
The commitment comes at a time when the NC State Engineering Foundation, for which Frank Culberson serves as president of the board of directors, is placing added emphasis on boosting the number of endowed professorships in the College. Professorships provide top faculty with extra funds for research activities — including graduate assistants and equipment purchases — course development and salary support.
Competition among engineering schools for talented faculty is fierce, and professorships give the College an advantage.
“Frank and Doris Culberson have made a wonderful gift to this College, and we appreciate their longstanding support of our people and programs,” said Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, dean of the College. “These professorship endowments continue to move the College forward by helping us recruit and retain some of the world’s finest engineering researchers and educators.”
Frank Culberson, a native of Siler City, NC, earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from NC State in 1960 and received his MBA from the University of Houston in 1966. He is chairman and a director of Rimkus Consulting Group, a 400-person forensic consulting and engineering firm headquartered in Houston. The company investigates energy and construction accidents and disputes; residential and commercial problems; product failures, including major equipment and machinery; motor vehicle and marine accidents; and industrial fires and explosions.
When he joined Rimkus in 1987, it had just eight employees, but he helped grow it into a large firm with more than 30 offices in the US and Europe. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and a registered professional engineer in Florida, Arizona and Texas.
Frank Culberson has participated in various speaking engagements at NC State, including the dedication of Engineering Building I on Centennial Campus in 2005 and the commencement program for the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2007, and was named a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus by the College in 2002. He was also the College of Engineering’s co-chair for NC State’s successful Achieve! fundraising campaign and has been among the most generous contributors to the College’s Dean’s Circle and Director’s Fund giving programs over the years.
Doris Culberson, a native of Liberty, NC, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and education with a Texas Teaching Certificate from the University of Houston and later taught at a Houston-area high school. The couple has two daughters and three grandchildren.
The Culbersons previously endowed the S. Frank and Doris Culberson Academic Enhancement Fund in Chemical Engineering. Frank Culberson said they wanted to create professorships with their most recent gift because outstanding faculty can boost the College’s reputation and create new opportunities for students.
“World-class faculty members not only bring their own research projects to an institution, they also open doors and serve as outstanding mentors and role models for their students,” he said. “Endowed professorships are instrumental for moving the College and the Department forward.” 