The University of Texas will name its new 210,000-square-foot engineering facility the Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building, opening in fall 2026 and connecting to the Gary L. Thomas Engineering Building. The structure will house petroleum and chemical engineering departments and is part of a $316 million project funded by philanthropy and university funds. Stephens, a UT alumnus who rose from a farming background to lead a major drilling company and sell it in a reported $26 billion deal, gave his family’s foundation’s naming gift. The building aims to expand research on topics such as rare earth extraction from produced water and advanced battery technologies while fostering collaboration and leadership among students.
UT Names 210,000‑Sq.-Ft. Engineering Building for Oil Pioneer Autry C. Stephens
Overview
The University of Texas announced that its newest engineering facility will be named the Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building. The 210,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in fall 2026 and will connect to the Gary L. Thomas Engineering Building, creating a centralized engineering hub on campus.
Departments, Features and Funding
The building will house the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. Designed with modern teaching laboratories, interactive learning spaces and cutting-edge research equipment, the facility is intended to help the Cockrell School retain and attract top faculty and expand research capabilities.
Key figures: the project is valued at approximately $316 million, funded through philanthropic gifts, the Permanent University Fund and the Available University Fund. Separately, a new undergraduate business building opening in 2028 will be named James J. and Miriam B. Mulva Hall after a reported $40 million naming gift.
About Autry C. Stephens
Autry C. Stephens was the first person in his family to attend college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering in 1961 and a master’s in 1962 from UT. Rising from humble agricultural roots as the son of a peanut and melon farmer, Stephens worked in nearly every role in the oil industry before building a highly successful drilling business.
According to published reports, Stephens was recognized in 2024 as one of the nation’s wealthiest oil drillers. He led Endeavor Energy through major industry shifts by adopting horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing and at one point held drilling rights on roughly 344,000 acres in the Permian Basin. Prior to his death, he sold Endeavor Energy to Diamondback Energy in a transaction reported at about $26 billion.
"With a UT degree in petroleum engineering, you are almost guaranteed success — it is a great foundation. There will be many ups and downs during life, but your education will always be with you and will never disappoint you," wrote Lyndal Stephens Greth, his daughter and leader of the Stephens Greth Foundation, which provided the naming gift.
Research and Student Impact
Roger Bonnecaze, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering, said the new building will accelerate research in areas such as extracting rare earth elements from produced water and developing improved battery technologies. The design emphasizes collaboration and innovation, with display space about Stephens’ life intended to inspire students.
Bonnecaze added that the Cockrell School currently reports $372 million in annual research expenditures and awards roughly $5 million in scholarships each year to nearly 8,000 students, reinforcing UT’s commitment to high-quality and accessible engineering education.
Legacy
Stephens’ family said they were proud of his contributions to the community and the jobs he helped create; according to his daughter, when he sold the company no employees were laid off. The new building is intended both to honor his legacy and to equip future engineers to tackle significant technical and societal challenges.
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