Pioneer Natural Resources, an oil and gas business headquartered in Irving, Texas, prides itself in being in the people business first, oil business second. They generously contributed to nine scholarships, faculty fellowships and faculty development funds across the chemical, electrical and computer, industrial and systems, mechanical and petroleum engineering departments at Texas A&M University.
Texas A&M former student Beth McDonald ’01 received her undergraduate degree in petroleum engineering. After graduation, she has continuously strived to impact the engineering field while working at Pioneer. McDonald is now the senior vice president of strategic planning and field development and marketing.
Holding this position has allowed McDonald to make a direct impact on the university, which opened many opportunities for growth and education. She influenced Pioneer’s decision to establish gifts to these five departments in the College of Engineering because of the successful education the university provides to its students.
We value the quality of education that Texas A&M and the College of Engineering provide their students. We have seen some of our greatest accomplishments come from former students of Texas A&M, not only at our company but in the industry as a whole.
With this in mind, Pioneer has contributed to scholarships in these five departments to uphold their values as a company. They believe that to develop the future of engineering, it is necessary to invest financially in students and faculty to support them in accomplishing their goals.
“The work that professors and students work on throughout the semester, such as the different projects and capstones, is vital toward the growth of their education and can impact the entire engineering industry,” McDonald said.
The scholarships and funds that Pioneer supports will provide opportunities and access for many aspiring Aggie engineers, aligning with the company’s values of encouraging diversity, equity and inclusion. With the help of this gift, students will have the financial resources to accomplish their goals and make a difference in the engineering industry.