Olsson commits $1 million to create endowed engineering chair

Olsson, a national engineering and design firm based in Lincoln, has pledged $1 million to establish an endowed chair for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Engineering. 

The Olsson Chair of Engineering will be awarded based on teaching and research ability, with a preference for a faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The endowed chair will support an annual salary stipend and provide funds for scholarly research. Olsson is the first corporation to establish and fully fund a chair in the college. 

“We are proud to partner with the College of Engineering to build Nebraska’s engineering workforce,” said Brad Strittmatter, president and chief executive officer of Olsson. “Olsson was founded in Lincoln in 1956, and because we care deeply about Nebraska’s future, Olsson wants to ensure the University of Nebraska remains a destination for exceptional engineering faculty who engage in transformational research and offer the best possible learning environment for the next generation of Nebraska engineers.” 

Strittmatter is a 1997 civil engineering graduate from Nebraska and is on the college’s advisory board. He and his wife, Lisa, serve as University of Nebraska Foundation trustees and are volunteer co-chairs of the college’s campaign committee for Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future.

Olsson’s gift was made as part of the Only in Nebraska campaign, a historic effort to engage 150,000 unique benefactors to raise $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska. A key campaign priority for the College of Engineering is to create endowed professorships and chairs to support collaborative research and competitive salaries to help recruit and retain exceptional faculty. The gift commitment was made through the University of Nebraska Foundation. 

“Olsson and the Olsson Family Foundation, which is supported by the founder’s family, are vital partners in the success of the College of Engineering,” said Lance C. Pérez, Fred Hunzeker Dean of Engineering. “This gift will help us recruit and retain distinguished faculty who are committed to educating the next generation of engineers and who conduct research that drives economic development in the state and region while solving problems of global importance.”

Olsson, founded in Lincoln by the late John E. Olsson in 1956, is one of the 75 largest engineering and design firms in the nation. The company employs more than 2,000 people and operates out of 35 offices throughout the United States. 

Olsson and the Olsson family have long supported the College of Engineering, the only engineering college in Nebraska. Nearly 100 engineering students have received scholarships supported by the company or through the Olsson Family Foundation. Olsson provided philanthropic support for Kiewit Hall, a privately funded $115 million premier engineering education facility that opened for classes in January 2024. The company also supports numerous student engineering organizations and offers internship, mentoring and professional opportunities to College of Engineering students and graduates. Olsson employs 250 graduates of the college.