University of Kentucky receives largest gift ever from alum
University of Kentucky alum Stanley Pigman has long been a supporter of his alma mater, but he recently gifted the school with $35 million for its College of Engineering.
Stanley Pigman is an alum of the University of Kentucky. He was the recipient of a scholarship to study mining engineering at just 17. He was born and raised in Eastern Kentucky, and has long held a passion about engineering and helping to make it an accessible career path for other students from the area.
Once Pigman earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of Engineering back in 1981, he decided to commit himself to creating opportunities for future engineering students. He and his wife Karen are holding true to that commitment still today.
The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees recently approved a pledge from the Pigmans of $34.5 million to UK Engineering. This gift is the biggest single gift the school has ever received in its 158 year history.
The President of the University of Kentucky, Eli Capilouto, recommended that the UK College of Engineering should be named the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering in honor of their long standing support, in addition to their record breaking gift. It would be the fourth named college on the University’s campus, the others being the J. David Rosenberg College of Law, the Lewis Honors College, and the Gatton College of Business and Economics.
Capilouto was quoted in an article posted on the University of Kentucky’s website as saying of the Pigmans, “Stan and Karen Pigman have devoted their lives to giving back — to students, to the university and to the Commonwealth, whose future will be brighter because of their commitment and generosity. Because of their continued commitment students now and for generations to come will fuel their passions, reach their potentials and discover what is possible because of the investments made in them by these remarkable people.”
With the Pigmans’ most recent gift, it brings their total contributions to the University of Kentucky up to $55 million.
Stan Pigman was quoted on his desire to help engineering students at UK, saying, “It is our dream to be a part of growing the program to produce more engineers and computer scientists, which will benefit the University of Kentucky and the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Stan Pigman said. “Karen and I know that producing more engineers and computer scientists will change not just this generation but generations of many families to come, and we are specifically invested in helping students with unmet need, first-generation students and students from Appalachia become engineers and computer scientists.”
This most recent gift from the Pigmans will be used to further bolster the work being done by UK Engineering by supporting need-based scholarships, expansions, and renovations, such as the Lessons@ UK program. The Lessons@ UK program will establish a new non-endowed mentoring scholarship fund, provide more support for the Stanley Pigman Engineering Scholarship fund, establish a second non-endowed fund to be called the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering Initiatives Support Fund, and provide additional funding to the L. Stanley Pigman Distinguished Professorship in Power, which supports various college faculty positions and the establishment of an endowment to be called the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment for Research and Graduate Education. $10 million of the total $35 million will go to support the renovation and expansion of the Funkhouser building, which will add 100,000 square feet to the new teaching and research spaces at UK Engineering, and support for the EduceLab Professor of Heritage Science Endowment which supports leadership activities for UK’s EduceLab such as recruiting and retaining STEM+Heritage Science talent, and more.
Rudy Buchheit, who serves as the Rebecca Burchett Liebert Dean of UK Engineering, also weighed in on the Pigman’s gift, saying, “The impact of Stan and Karen Pigman’s generosity on this college and university has been extraordinary. Through the scholarships, facilities and programming supported by gifts from the Pigmans, we have been able to open more doors for students who want to study engineering and provide them with more tools for success. The Pigmans have a deep understanding of society’s growing demand for engineering talent, and they are helping us to build the future engineers who will move us forward.”
The Pigmans have been financially supporting and mentoring hundreds of computer science and engineering students for over two decades through the L. Stanley Pigman Scholarship Program. Currently, there are more than 120 undergraduate engineering students who are being supported through scholarships funded by the Pigmans.
The gifts that the Pigmans have provided the University of Kentucky have been very important to how engineering students have been able to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in engineering settings, both in Kentucky and beyond.
Pigman explained some of his thought process behind his investment in engineering students, saying, “We fully realize that additional investments will be required in STEM students and teachers across the Commonwealth. Additionally, we are investing in STEM programming in middle and high schools in Appalachia, which will provide a feeder program of students."
Back in 2022, the Pigmans also started a scholarship program through the Office for Student Success that allows for first generation students pursuing degrees outside of engineering to receive their assistance, as well. The L. Stanley Pigman First Generation Scholarship awards scholarships to first generation students who are graduating from high schools in any of the 32 Eastern Kentucky counties.
As well as scholarships, the Pigmans have also started two endowed faculty positions in power engineering: the L. Stanley Pigman Faculty Fellowship in Power and the L. Stanley Pigman Chair in Power.
The Pigmans have also been longtime supporters of SPARK electrical engineering laboratory, UK Solar Car and Formula One Team, Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (or PEIK), and more activities within the college of engineering at UK.
Stanley Pigman started his career as a project engineer with the Sierra Coal Company back in 1981. Two years later he moved to the Old Ben Coal Company, the world’s biggest coal company, to serve as a market analyst.
Later, Pigman joined the Pyro Mining Company as manager of marketing before he was named the director of marketing. By 1992, he was named the vice president of sales at the newly formed Sugar Camp Coal company. Five years later, he and two other business partners joined with Black Beauty Coal Company where he managed the company’s assets in Illinois through expanded coal production.
Pigman then decided to form his own company in June of 2001 called Pigman Coal Sales, which provided sales services to another start up company for a new greenfield mining project in Western Kentucky.
Three years later, he sold Pigman Coal Sales and started three new companies that owned and leased various coal properties (Buck Creek, Delaware Resources, and Mackey Development). His companies provided permitting, engineering, and exploration services to sites across over 50,000 acres which held over 400 million tons of coal.
In 2009, Pigman was recognized for his career achievements and community service when he was inducted into UK Engineering’s Hall of Distinction. Three years ago, he was also inducted into the UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni. The University of Kentucky has also awarded him an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters in 2017.
More information about all of the services and programs offered at the University of Kentucky can be found at the school’s website.