Vaughn Construction contributes to Francis Hall renovation project

Competition teams and students tackling group projects in the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M will soon be collaborating in a state-of-the-art workspace made possible by a $150,000 gift from Vaughn Construction as part of the department's fund-raising [campaign] (http://cosc.arch.tamu.edu/francis-hall/) to ready its new campus headquarters in Francis Hall.

“The 500 square-foot Vaughn Construction Student Collaboration Area will be a critically needed, unique and highly functional new working space for students,” said Joe Horlen, head of the department.

Tom Vaughn ‘89, Vaughn’s chief executive officer, Bill Vaughn ‘91, vice president/preconstruction director, Mike Vaughn ‘94, president and Mike Simpson ‘90, project executive, led the effort to make the company a significant part of Francis Hall’s renovation.

Bill Vaughn and Mike Simpson earned Bachelor of Science degrees from the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M.

“The space will be a fitting tribute to the four principal members of the Vaughn Construction leadership team responsible for their company’s contribution to the capital campaign,” said Horlen.

“Along with the many outstanding buildings on the Texas A&M campus that bear the mark of the construction excellence of Vaughn Construction, the Vaughn Student Collaboration Area will be another lasting tribute to their contribution to our program of construction education,” said Joe Horlen, head of the Department of Construction Science.

The company has also established the Vaughn Construction Endowed Scholarship, awarded each year to a construction science student based on academic achievement and financial need.

In recent years, Vaughn built the Mitchell Physics Building, Emerging Technology Building and the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M campus, three of 45 projects together totaling more than $600 million that the company has built on the eight Texas A&M System campuses.

This history of excellent work, said Horlen, will be further enhanced with the Vaughn Construction and Manhattan Construction Company joint venture on the renovation and expansion of Kyle Field.

“The Department of Construction Science’s move to its own building in a renovated Francis Hall, and the redevelopment of Kyle Field are the two most exciting things that could happen for a former construction science student," said Bill Vaughn, who lives in College Station and is heading the preconstruction efforts at Kyle Field. "We felt like we had to be part of both of these significant milestones at Texas A&M,”

Vaughn Construction, with offices in Houston, San Antonio, Galveston, Dallas, El Paso and College Station, is a major employer of graduates and interns in the construction science program at Texas A&M.

“With more than 100 former students at Vaughn Construction, we are particularly grateful to the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M," said Tom Vaughn. "Every year the department produces students with the core values and technical skills it takes to be successful in our business."

For more information about the Francis Hall campaign contact Larry Zuber, assistant vice president for development, Texas A&M Foundation, at l-zuber@tamu.edu or 979.845.0939, or Joe Horlen, department head, Construction Science Department, at jhorlen@tamu.edu or 979.458.3477.