Major Gift to UW Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Supports Department Head

A gift to the University of Wyoming from a retired UW professor and administrator will support the head of the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

E.G. “Gerry” Meyer’s gift, coupled with state matching funds, will create an endowed fund — the E.G. Meyer Family Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Department Head.

“My undergraduate degree was in chemical engineering, and I just feel that chemical engineering has tremendous possibilities,” Meyer says.

The fund will be used to recruit and retain a department head in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. Additionally, the fund can be used to provide support for departmental needs and special initiatives.

“This generous gift from our great friend and supporter Gerry Meyer is a game-changer,” says Cameron Wright, the Carrell Family Dean of UW’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. “It’s invaluable for the recruiting and retention of a top-notch department head, and it gives the department head the ability to flexibly support strategic needs, student success and faculty excellence.”

The E.G. Meyer Family Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Department Head is the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences’ latest named department head, which requires a $2 million endowment. Other endowed department heads are the Thomas and Shelley Botts Department Head in Civil Engineering; the Le Norman Endowed Leadership Chair in Petroleum Engineering; and the Harry C. Vaughan Faculty Fund in Physics and Astronomy.

An endowed department head position elevates the department’s profile and the university’s reputation. The position helps the department attract and retain a strong leader who is driven to move the department forward by fostering faculty excellence and supporting student success. Additionally, an endowed position provides dedicated financial resources to support cutting-edge research, innovative teaching methods, special projects and other departmental needs.

“Few individuals have had as profound an influence on UW as Dr. Meyer,” UW President Ed Seidel says. “From shaping our campus to inspiring generations of students and faculty, his legacy is part of the very fabric of this university. This gift ensures that his passion for engineering and education will continue to drive progress for decades to come.”

Meyer joined UW in 1963. He was hired by UW President George Duke Humphrey to serve as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of chemistry. His initial duties as dean were to finish raising funds and to oversee the construction of a science center that Humphrey had committed to building. Meyer worked with Wyoming architects to design the science center, which consists of the Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Classroom buildings on the west side of campus. This massive project was completed in 1969.

Besides serving as the College of Arts and Sciences dean, Meyer filled other administrative roles at UW. He was appointed the university’s first vice president of research in 1976. Five years later, he served as director of the Science and Mathematics Teaching Center. He retired in 1990.

Before coming to UW, Meyer was on the faculty of New Mexico Highlands University from 1952-1963, serving as head of the chemistry department from 1953-1963 and as dean of graduate studies and research. He also was a faculty member at the University of Albuquerque from 1950-52.

A physical chemist, Meyer holds 14 U.S. and foreign patents. He is a past president of the American Institute of Chemists and an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), serving on the ACS National Council for 27 years. He was named a fellow of the ACS in 2010. He has been president and CEO of Advanced Coal to Chemicals Technologies, a company for the development of green technologies for coal processing.

Meyer earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1940 and his master’s degree in chemistry in 1942 from Carnegie Institute of Technology, which became Carnegie Mellon University. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1950 from the University of New Mexico, with research conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

In addition to his decades of service to UW, Meyer has generously supported the university with his philanthropy for nearly 50 years. He has named numerous funds, including the E.G. Meyer Family Staff Recognition Award and the William D. Carlson Excellence Fund. He also gifted a significant portion of his primarily Western American art collection to the UW Art Museum.

“We deeply appreciate Gerry’s generous and continued support of UW,” says John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation. “His recent gift marks a significant milestone for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. This gift strengthens the ongoing efforts of the UW Board of Trustees, the UW Foundation and the UW administration to support faculty excellence. It will play a key role in attracting and retaining exceptional leaders in the department.”