Marquette University receives $5 million gift for endowed chair in construction engineering and management Released: Jan.30, 2007 MILWAUKEE – A Chicago couple has donated $5 million to the Marquette University College of Engineering to establish an endowed chair in construction engineering and management, Marquette President Robert A. Wild, S.J., announced today.     Jim and Kelly McShane are 1968 graduates of the university’s College of Engineering and College of Arts & Sciences, respectively. Jim McShane is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois who leads The McShane Companies, a diversified organization comprised of various real estate development and construction companies headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois.  The firm has expanded significantly over the past ten years establishing operations in Dallas, Austin, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Atlanta.  McShane began his career at Minneapolis-based Opus Corporation and led that firm’s expansion into Milwaukee and Chicago.  In 1984, McShane pursued the establishment of his own company, McShane Construction Corporation, and has since formed McShane Corporation, Cadence McShane Corporation and most recently, McShane Medical Properties.    "Kelly and I have always valued our education at Marquette University and we want to give back to the school and benefit the next generation of students. Our business demonstrates the need for highly skilled engineers, especially with construction management expertise. We hope that our gift will ensure that Marquette engineering students help fill this need.” said McShane.     “This gift provides continued momentum for our College of Engineering as we seek to improve the way our students are educated,” Father Wild said.  “We recognize that tomorrow’s engineers will require skills beyond the technical training demanded by their profession.  Our goal is that Marquette graduates will be excellent engineers committed to ethical values with strong business, leadership and communication skills.”    Stanley Jaskolski, Opus Dean of Engineering, noted that the university recently approved a new program in construction management within the college’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.  “This program responds to the industry’s demand for highly trained professionals and ethical leaders,” he said.  “Construction is one of the largest industries in the United States.  More than five million people are involved in over $800 billion in project sites throughout the nation.”   Michael Switzenbaum, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, praised McShane’s “visionary leadership” and support, not only monetarily but in sharing his time and expertise.  “Jim McShane exemplifies what we call our graduates to be – a person for others,” Switzenbaum said.  “In addition to building a company known for its excellence in project management, he is a leader in serving his community, profession and alma mater.”    Jim McShane serves on the College of Engineering’s National Advisory Board and is a member of The 1881 Society of Marquette University President’s Council.  He received the Professional Achievement Award from the College of Engineering in 2003 and is also a recipient of the Don T. McNeill Spirit Award from the Marquette Club of Chicago.  Jim McShane serves as the 2005/2007 President of the Chicago Building Congress and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Builders Association Foundation providing educational scholarships to colleges and universities throughout the Chicago area.  He is also Chairman of the Planning Commission for the Village of Bannockburn, Illinois.    Jaskolski said a search will begin immediately for an “exceptional individual” to hold the McShane Chair in Construction Engineering and Management. “This wonderful gift ensures that we have the ability to attract and retain an individual of vision with both practical experience and academic expertise,” he said.    The McShane Chair is the third $5 million endowment for the College of Engineering in the past four years. In May 2006 Robert C. Greenheck, chairman of the board of the Greenheck Fan Corp., in Schofield, Wis., America’s leading manufacturer of ventilation equipment, endowed the Greenheck Chair in Engineering Design. The chair will emphasize the importance of design and problem-solving activities throughout the college’s four-year curriculum. The Opus Corporation, a Minnesota company providing architectural, construction and real estate development services in 40 markets nationwide, previously endowed the chair held by Jaskolski. Jaskolski has said he hopes to raise funds for six endowed faculty chairs and $32 million in endowed scholarships, as well as money to upgrade undergraduate laboratories and create state-of-the-art research centers.   Just last month, Marquette announced a $25 million gift to the College of Engineering from an anonymous alumnus and his wife. The gift is part of a broader fund-raising initiative to “transform the College of Engineering through endowed scholarships and faculty positions, an enhanced curriculum, extensive research opportunities and completion of a Discovery Learning Complex with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment,” Father Wild said. The couple’s foundation will consider extending the gift to provide $1 million annually in perpetuity if such transformation occurs.   Jaskolski, who became dean in 2003 after a career both in academia and industry, said Marquette faculty members are redefining engineering education to make it “more entrepreneurial, more inter-disciplinary, more open-ended in terms of problem solving and more global in its outreach.” He said the result will “fundamentally alter the way engineering students learn.”   Office of Marketing and Communication Contacts Brigid O'Brien Miller Director of University Communication Phone: (414) 288-7445 Send e-mail Anne Broeker Sr. Media Relations Specialist Phone: (414) 288-0286 Send e-mail