The University of Texas at Austin has announced that its new Engineering Discovery Building will be named after Autry C. Stephens, an influential oil and gas industry leader and university alumnus. The building, which spans 210,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in 2026, will house the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering as well as the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering.
Both departments are highly ranked nationally for their graduate and undergraduate programs. The facility aims to support interdisciplinary research in energy, with students and faculty working on emerging technologies for the oil and gas sector.
Lyndal Stephens Greth, director and executive chairman of the Stephens Greth Foundation and daughter of Autry C. Stephens, said, “My dad always recognized his education at The University of Texas as one of the major building blocks in his life — a game changer on his path from the melon patch to oil patch. There’s no better way to honor him than our investment in future generations of students who will move the energy industry forward.”
Autry C. Stephens was raised by peanut and melon farmers before becoming the first in his family to attend college. He graduated from UT with degrees in petroleum engineering before working at Humble Oil (now part of Exxon Mobil Corp.), serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and appraising oil and gas assets. He later founded Endeavor Energy Resources.
Stephens invested heavily in drilling rights across 350,000 acres in the Permian Basin, holding onto them until conditions favored development. His approach allowed him to navigate fluctuations within the industry successfully. Before he died last year, he sold Endeavor Energy Resources to Diamondback Energy—a transaction that established Diamondback as one of the largest producers in West Texas—and provided for his family and employees.
UT President Jim Davis stated: “One of the greatest gifts our University can receive is the gift of opportunity. It is fitting that our Engineering Discovery Building will bear Autry C. Stephens’ name as both a pioneer and a creator of opportunity for countless UT students to study in a world-class facility and follow his daring path to change the world in their own way. The incredible generosity of Mr. Stephens and his daughter, Lyndal, is what makes this possible, and I cannot thank them enough.”
The new building forms part of broader upgrades within UT’s Cockrell School aimed at equipping engineers with resources needed for modern challenges; it also connects physically with another recent addition—the Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering Building.
Key features include large open laboratories designed for cross-disciplinary work; flipped classrooms; environmentally themed study spaces; new lecture halls; and a redesigned Mulva Courtyard featuring artwork by Maya Lin depicting the night sky from UT’s founding evening.
Roger Bonnecaze, dean of engineering at Cockrell School said: “This is a transformational moment for Texas Engineering… The Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building ensures we have facilities that match the world-class talent of our faculty and students… His contributions to the energy sector and commitment to innovation have changed the world and align perfectly with the mission of the Cockrell School.”
