In the spring of 2000 the Civil Engineering department at Ohio University received a gift from the estate of Berniece Thomas, widow of former Russ College Professor Neil D. Thomas, to establish professorships and scholarships in the department. The estate gift endowed two named professorships in Civil Engineering: the Neil D. Thomas Professor of Civil Engineering at $300,000 per year, and the Neil D. and Berniece E. Thomas Professor of Civil Engineering at $200,000. The gift also established a $200,000 endowed scholarship fund for civil engineering students. A $44,000 "Neil D. Thomas Civil Engineering Education Fund" was also endowed for the chairman of the Civil Engineering department to use to advance the quality of the education received by students at Ohio University. The professorships and new scholarships will be awarded for the first time in the fall of 2000.

The Ohio University Russ College of Engineering and Technology is the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar endowment base that supports curriculum development, library resources, undergraduate and graduate fellowships and scholarships, equipment purchases, faculty chairs and professorships, and research. One of the largest donations in the college's history, the C. Paul and Beth K. Stocker Endowment helped fund the conversion of a University residence hall into a $16 million state-of-the-art engineering center in 1985. Named for the couple, Stocker Center houses all seven of the college's departments and is located on Ohio University's West Green.