Contact: Phil Hearn
Bill and Carolyn Cobb
A mid-1960s Mississippi State graduate who carved out a successful career in petroleum engineering and geological consulting has, along with his wife, established an endowed chair to benefit faculty at his alma mater.
The Bill and Carolyn Cobb Chair in Engineering at MSU will be filled by a faculty member from either the chemical engineering or mechanical engineering departments. A minimum commitment of $1.5 million is required to endow a chaired position.
"Endowed chairs are a key factor in recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty," said Glenn Steele, interim dean of MSU's Bagley College of Engineering. "The generosity of Bill and Carolyn Cobb will have a lasting impact on the college."
Announcement of the endowed chair came as the university is initiating a new capital campaign titled "State of the Future: The Mississippi State Campaign." The Cobbs' gift will assist the university in reaching its $400 million goal announced during recent homecoming activities.
"Bill Cobb is very well known and respected in the international petroleum industry," said associate engineering dean Robert Taylor. "The Cobbs' gift will not only enable the college to draw outstanding faculty, but their name also will bring prestige and recognition."
Cobb said he received inspiration early in life from his late parents, M.B. and Gladys Cobb, both of Kewanee, which is located at the "last exit on Interstate 20 before going into Alabama." His father, who taught agriculture in their East Mississippi hometown, received a B.A. degree in agricultural education in 1938 and a master's degree in agricultural economics in 1950, both from Mississippi State.
"They both sacrificed for me," Bill said of his parents.
Cobb received bachelor's and master's degrees in petroleum engineering from MSU, respectively, in 1966 and 1967. Later, he earned a doctorate in the same field from Stanford University.
After two years of experience in private industry with the Atlantic Richfield Co., Cobb served on the MSU faculty as an assistant professor of petroleum engineering 1972-75. In 1975, he returned to private industry, first working again for ARCO and then for an independent oil and gas company in Dallas, Texas.
In 1983, he and Carolyn started their own business, William M. Cobb and Associates, which provides petroleum engineering and geological consulting services to clients on an international scale.
"It was a leap of faith," Cobb said of the business venture.
"I've been blessed with the opportunity to work with good people and to travel all over the world," he added, noting his work has taken him to six continents during the past three years, earning him two million frequent-flyer miles from American Airlines.
As a part of his consulting business, Cobb travels the globe six to eight times a year to teach, train and advise petroleum industry employees. With establishment of the endowment, he once again is taking part in the education of MSU engineering students.
"We want to help young men and women reach out for their dreams, and maybe even go beyond them," Cobb said of the couple's gift. "We also hope it will provide encouragement to others to support MSU or the college of their choice."