KEY TAKEAWAYS
- $4 Million commitment from Manmohan Singh Kalsi and Marie-Luise Schubert Kalsi will strengthen faculty support, graduate research and innovation in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering.
- Investment establishes endowed professorships, a faculty research fund, graduate fellowships and an engineering seminar series to help attract top faculty, recruit outstanding graduate students and accelerate research.
- Inspired by the mentorship that launched Manmohan Kalsi’s career, the Kalsis continue their longstanding support of the University of Houston, helping prepare future engineering leaders while advancing the University goal of becoming a Top 50 public university.
A $4 million gift from Manmohan Singh Kalsi and Marie-Luise Schubert Kalsi will support faculty recruitment and retention and graduate research and innovation in the University of Houston's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
The commitment establishes both endowed and current-use funds to support faculty excellence, graduate fellowships and industry engagement in Cullen College’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
“Manmohan Kalsi’s journey from UH graduate student to industry innovator and entrepreneur embodies the transformative impact of the Cullen College of Engineering,” said Dean Pradeep Sharma. “This gift will help us to recruit and retain world-class mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty while providing our graduate students the financial support and research infrastructure needed to solve real-world challenges.”
Investing in Faculty, Students and Research
One of the largest philanthropic commitments to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in recent years, the gift establishes two endowed professorships to attract and retain leading faculty; creates the Kalsi Faculty Research Fund to advance emerging research; and provides endowed and current-use fellowships to recruit outstanding graduate students. The Kalsi Seminar Series will also bring internationally recognized researchers and industry leaders to campus, enriching the academic experience through collaboration and knowledge exchange.
“This gift provides a tremendous boost to our department’s strategic momentum,” said Karolos Grigoriadis, chairman of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor. “By simultaneously supporting faculty, graduate researchers and collaborative seminars, the Kalsis are strengthening every part of our research enterprise and creating new opportunities for discovery, collaboration and student mentorship.”
For Manmohan Kalsi, the gift represents an opportunity to invest in the institution that helped launch his career. Kalsi earned both his master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from UH, where the mentorship from the late professor Gabriel Fazekas played a pivotal role in shaping his future as an engineer and entrepreneur. In 2014, the Kalsis established an endowed professorship at Cullen College in honor of Fazekas, recognizing his lasting impact on generations of engineers. Today, the endowment funded by the Kalsis supports three professors in the department — Shailendra Joshi, Daniel Floryan and Kelly Huang. Manmohan was also profiled in the Spring 2005 edition of Parameters (page 10 of this PDF link), which noted the positive impact that the pursuit of art had on his engineering success.
In 1978, Kalsi founded Kalsi Engineering, an internationally recognized company known for pioneering hydrodynamic rotary sealing technology and advancing valve technology to ensure safety and reliability of nuclear power plants. Nearly five decades later, the company continues its longstanding relationship with the University by employing UH graduates. Through this gift, Manmohan and Marie-Luise Kalsi are giving back to the institution that helped launch their journey, strengthening the faculty, graduate education and research that will shape the future of engineering.
Can’t Stop Houston: The Centennial Campaign
The gift advances Can’t Stop Houston: The Centennial Campaign, the University’s comprehensive fundraising initiative to launch its second century by investing in innovation, student success and campus transformation, creating the opportunities, discoveries and experiences that will shape the University of Houston’s next 100 years.
“Manmohan and Marie-Luise Kalsi exemplify the enduring impact of a University of Houston education,” said Russell T. Dunlavy, vice president for advancement and alumni. “The success of Kalsi Engineering grew from the talent, mentorship and spirit of innovation that define this University. Through their generosity, the Kalsis are creating new opportunities for faculty and graduate researchers to pursue discoveries that will improve lives, strengthen industries and inspire the next generation of innovators.”