MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WVDN) — A $4 million gift to West Virginia University from Antero Resources and Antero Midstream is expanding educational opportunities at the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources to help train the next generation of petroleum and natural gas engineers.
Antero’s gift — its largest philanthropic donation to date — will provide support for undergraduate and graduate students in petroleum and natural gas engineering, establish an Antero Professorship and help address pressing needs. The funding will also support upstream coursework for graduate programs and a newly developed online master’s degree and certificate program in midstream engineering, the first of its kind in the U.S.
“This generous gift reinforces the fact that we are making the right decisions for our students,” WVU President Gordon Gee said. “As I have said before, students have choices. Through the support of partners such as Antero, WVU will have the programs and majors that are most relevant to their needs and the future needs of industry.”
Paul Rady, co-founder, chairman, CEO and president of Antero and Antero Midstream, announced the company’s gift Thursday (Aug. 31) at the West Virginia Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Summit in White Sulphur Springs.
The announcement followed a presentation by Rady and Michael Kennedy, Antero Resources’ chief financial officer and a board member for Antero Midstream, focused on Antero’s efforts to make a positive impact in West Virginia and beyond as the state’s largest energy producer.
“We know the future is bright for natural gas development and we know the future is bright for WVU, and so the synergy of energy and education is something we are so honored to support,” Rady said. “We look forward to working with the leadership of the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources to enhance student success and experiential learning so that we may all benefit from a talented pool of new engineers trained by best-in-class professors who truly embrace West Virginia’s role in an evolving, global energy landscape.”
Antero Resources is West Virginia’s largest producer of natural gas and natural gas liquids. Antero Midstream is West Virginia’s leading supplier of midstream services, which includes low- and high-pressure gas gathering, compression, processing, water handling and fractionation. The Antero companies’ focus is on supplying reliable, low-cost energy from unconventional formations within the Marcellus and the Utica shale plays, which span the Appalachian region.
The WVU partnership expands energy opportunities in West Virginia by simultaneously helping to meet workforce demands for well-trained workers — at Antero and other oil and gas companies — while providing lucrative jobs to benefit graduates and their families.
“We are extremely grateful to Antero for their generosity and the positive effect this gift will have on future generations,” said Pedro Mago, dean of the Statler College. “Our highest priority is the success of our students, and this generous gift will provide many opportunities for our petroleum and natural gas engineering students inside and outside the classroom. In addition, it will support growing the research and industry collaborations in our PNGE program to continue serving the state of West Virginia and beyond.”
Antero has generously supported WVU with previous gifts to Athletics, the College of Law, Extension, the WVU Cancer Institute and WVU Medicine Children’s that reflect the company’s commitment to invest in the communities where it operates.
The latest gift from Antero Resources was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.
