Endowment will support Civil and Environmental Engineering program

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Margot Schrire, (808) 956-6774
Director of Communications, UH Foundation
Posted: Sep 5, 2014

Richard Cox
Richard Cox

Richard H. Cox, a former Alexander & Baldwin (A&B) vice president, and chair and commissioner of the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Commission on Water Resource Management, has made a $40,000 gift to fund an endowment.

“The endowment will support the UH Mānoa College of Engineering's Civil and Environmental Engineering program,” he explained.  “It will provide equipment and materials for research, and upon graduation, students will enter the engineering profession in government and the private sector well-educated and ready for success.”

Said Engineering Dean Peter Crouch, “The College is extremely grateful for this generous gift.  It will assist the Civil and Environmental Engineering department in its efforts to build its capacity to provide innovative education programs that prepare students for challenges they will face in their future careers.”

Added C.S. Papacostas, Civil and Environmental Engineering department chair, "We are immensely pleased and honored to be awarded this generous endowment by one of the giants of the profession. It will strengthen and support the growth of our graduate programs in civil and environmental engineering."

This is not Richard Cox’s first gift. As Donna Vuchinich, UH Foundation president and CEO shared, “Richard Cox has been a loyal donor to UH since 1974. Over the years, his annual gifts have helped bolster UH programs and supported promising students. In addition to the Cox family’s impact as philanthropists, we are also very grateful to them for their years of service at UH.”

Born in Pāʻia, Maui, Richard Cox was raised in ʻEleʻele, Kaua‘i, before attending Punahou School in Honolulu. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the California Institute of Technology.

From 1942-1946, he was Rocket Range Supervisor at the California Institute of Technology. Then he returned to Hawai‘i, where he held positions at McBryde Sugar and A&B. He worked at A&B for more than 40 years. He also served with distinction as chair and commissioner of the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Commission on Water Resource Management from 1987-1999.

In addition to his generous support of the UH Mānoa College of Engineering, Cox is a strong supporter of the East-West Center. He has also been active with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), where he has served on the ASCE Hawai‘i Section History and Heritage Committee.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UH offers degrees of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE), Master of Science (MS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). It has approximately 300 undergraduate students, 80 graduate students, and 20 faculty members. The program is accredited by ABET, the U.S. accrediting board for engineering programs. In its long history, it has granted more than 3,000 baccalaureate and graduate degrees. This is the only civil engineering program in the State of Hawai'i, and its graduates are found in nearly every public and private engineering agency and company in Hawai'i.

For more information on supporting the students, research and programs at the College of Engineering, please contact Kellie Takenaka at (808) 956-2906 or kellie.takenaka@uhfoundation.org.  A secure tax-deductible gift may be made at  www.uhfoundation.org/givetoengineering.

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. www.uhfoundation.org.