A Texas businessman has made a gift of $3 million to create an endowment to allow Jackson State University engineering graduates to seek advanced degrees at Mississippi State University.

Dave C. Swalm, founder of Texas Olefins, a Houston, Texas, manufacturer of petrochemicals, made the gift to MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering. Swalm is a 1955 chemical engineering graduate from Mississippi State.

Kirk H. Schulz, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering, said Friday that the Swalm-JSU Engineering Scholarship Endowment will assist any bachelor of science graduate of Jackson State who desires to pursue an advanced degree in engineering at MSU. Candidates must have graduated with a 3.0 grade-point average, based on a 4.0 scale.

Schulz said the scholarships will “provide needed financial support to enable more Mississippians to obtain advanced study in any field of engineering offered at MSU.”

Schulz said the scholarships also will be available to undergraduate students who wish to transfer and pursue an engineering degree not currently offered at Jackson State. In this case, candidates must have completed two years in JSU’s engineering studies program with a minimum 3.0 GPA. They also must be seeking a degree in aerospace, biological, chemical, industrial, mechanical, or software engineering.