CBE alum Carl Stutts (B.S. ‘68), and his wife Cynthia, are #GivingPack leaders! They give both current use scholarships and current use funds for the Stutts Undergraduate Research Program.

Carl Stutts is a native of Salisbury, North Carolina and was a first-generation college student.  He received a scholarship from Cannon Mills that provided him a full scholarship to study chemical engineering at NC State, as well as a summer job. This experience is one reason he feels strongly about giving back and giving students opportunities that they would otherwise not have. After graduating from NC State with his degree in chemical engineering in 1968, Stutts joined Union Carbide in Texas and later joined Tenneco where he eventually became Vice President of Tenneco Ventures.  Along the way, he received his MBA from the University of Houston in 1975.  Stutts left Tenneco in 1988 and became a general partner in Columbine Venture Funds, a technology focused venture capital fund. He then served as President and CEO of Texas Petrochemicals and of Cyanco Corporation.

Outside of his professional career, Stutts has been on the board of the NC State Engineering Foundation, and also active in Rotary International and Child Advocates of Houston, an organization focused on children placed in foster care. For his contributions and leadership in industry and his philanthropic work, Stutts was named a CBE Distinguished Alumni in 2016  and a College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni in 2021. 

Because of the Stutts’ generosity, ten students were supported by the Stutts Scholarship and fifteen were supported by the Stutts Undergraduate Research Scholars Program during the 2024-25 academic year. What is unique about the Stutts Undergraduate Research Program is that students are chosen based on both their financial need and interest statements, and thus, the program broadens participation of ChE undergraduates in research beyond those with the highest GPAs. The scholars are paid hourly to perform research in twelve PI labs. Over half of the scholars had no previous research experience prior to being supported by the program. The students build community outside of the lab by attending a one hour a week seminar conducted by Prof. Michael Dickey or Prof. Harvinder Gill which covers:

• Performing research and what to expect
• Reading journal papers
• Interacting with PIs and graduate students
• Presenting research findings formally and informally
• Finding research opportunities
• Applying to graduate school

According to Prof Michael Dickey, “the Stutts program has provided an amazing  opportunity for undergraduates students to learn about research and get hands-on experience within a supportive community. In several cases, it has even changed the career outlook for the students, which is a real measure of impact.”

The department is incredibly grateful for our generous alumni like Carl Stutts. Thank you for your contribution and dedication to making CBE a global leader in chemical engineering education and research!