WVU receives $3M pledge from retired professor to strengthen engineering program

West Virginia University in Morgantown has announced a $3 million planned estate gift from retired faculty member Syd Peng to establish an endowed chair and professor positions at the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. The funds will strengthen faculty recruitment and research capacity while supporting long-term academic development in engineering, particularly mining-related disciplines. The endowed positions honor Peng and his late wife Felicia, both former WVU faculty members with decades of service in the college. The gift will help expand faculty-led research, enhance student training, and reinforce WVU’s engineering leadership through sustained philanthropic investment in academic excellence and innovation.