Retired WVU Statler College faculty member establishes chair and professor positions with $3M gift

A retired faculty leader at the West Virginia University Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources is honoring his family's academic legacy with generous planned gifts to advance education, discovery and service.

Syd Peng, of Fremont, California, pledged $3 million in his will to establish endowed chair and professor positions at the WVU Statler College. His gifts reflect a devotion to WVU that has endured for more than 50 years, including nearly 40 as a faculty member and 28 as department chair of mining engineering.

WVU President Michael T. Benson will recognize Peng's service to WVU by bestowing a Presidential Honorary Degree during Commencement ceremonies May 15-17.

The positions supported by Peng's planned gift are named for him and his late wife, Felicia, also a longtime faculty member in mining engineering.

"I am deeply moved by this extraordinary and meaningful gift and grateful for Dr. Peng's incredible generosity," Pedro Mago, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College, said. "The establishment of this endowed chair and professorship, honoring the distinguished careers of Syd and his late wife, Felicia, represents a lasting investment in our college. Their legacy will continue to inspire innovation, scholarship and opportunities for generations to come."

Peng was drawn to mining while growing up in Taiwan, where he worked in a local coal mine and earned his undergraduate diploma from the National Taipei University of Technology. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1965 to study at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Syd and Felicia met and married while attending Stanford University, where they graduated with degrees in mining engineering and chemical engineering, respectively.

Syd then worked for the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Minneapolis for a few years as the couple pursued academic opportunities. Peng said there weren't many universities with dedicated mining engineering departments at the time.

"When I looked around to see where I should go, WVU was the top choice because West Virginia was a coal mining state and I was very much interested in coal mining," Peng said.

The Pengs found a home at WVU, where they spent decades empowering future generations of mining engineering leaders to excel through energy education and research.

Syd supervised more than 100 research projects and secured over $12 million in funding from government and private sources. His research, rooted in sound theory and practice, spanned more than 300 mines across the U.S. and 16 foreign countries.

He launched the International Conference on Ground Control in Mining, which continues to be held in West Virginia. Peng also wrote many textbooks, conference proceedings and journal articles focused on longwall mining, ground control, surface subsidence, respirable dust, modeling, mine seal and more.

Felicia completed her doctorate as a WVU faculty member in 1989. Her area of expertise was mineral processing, and she was passionate about engaging with students as she taught coal preparation-related subjects.

Throughout their careers, Syd said he and Felicia were always impressed by the loyalty and accomplishments of WVU mining engineering alumni.

"WVU mining engineering alumni are all over the coal mining industry in the U.S.," he said. "They occupy high places at every major coal company. And wherever I would travel, I noticed alumni would always come from far away to meet with me. They wanted to know how the program was doing, those kinds of things. You need alumni loyalty to the program to support the future of WVU mining engineering."

Syd and Felicia Peng have previously supported the mining engineering program with gifts to establish a namesake scholarship, professorship and library endowment. That's why Syd opted to establish broader chair and professor positions in engineering with his latest gifts.

"I think the mining engineering department is well supported, so I felt the next thing I should support is the College of Engineering," he said. "I would hope we entice faculty to further their research, including support for students."

Among many other honors, Syd Peng is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame.

The Pengs remained in Morgantown for several years post-retirement. After Felicia died in 2021, Syd moved to California for its mild weather, easy walking terrain, and proximity to their son and grandchildren.

The Peng gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University, in conjunction with Day of Giving. The 24-hour fundraising event, held March 25, raised more than $22 million through 11,202 gifts made by WVU alumni and friends.

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Director of Strategic Communications
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