people and community longhorn racing partnership helps students cross the finish line

Chevron recently participated in the University of Texas at Austin’s annual race car unveiling event.

We provided funding to help Longhorn Racing, the largest student group on campus, design and build three vehicles with specialized energy sources: internal combustion, electric and solar.

The first step in building a superior workforce is to identify and recruit the best and the brightest. We established the University Partnerships and Association Relations (UPAR) program to help us do just that.

In keeping with that agenda, our partnership with Longhorn Racing supports the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Society of Automotive Engineers, where more than 300 students across many disciplines collaborate to design and create these race cars.

Although competitions take place, the events are less about who wins and more about safety, teamwork and the ability to produce horsepower and revolutions per minute.

The event began at the University of Texas in 1981. Now in its 40th year, students from across the world participate.

“It’s a good relationship,” said Eric Sirgo, a proud UT alumnus and vice president of facilities, design and solutions at Chevron. “This particular group has several hundred members from every engineering discipline.

“It’s a true team of teams, and it’s not dissimilar to some of our projects that incorporate supply chain, marketing and engineering.”

Chevron has partnered with the University of Texas for decades, with employees serving on the advisory committees of the mechanical engineering, computer science and business schools.

We believe these programs are important because they foster partnership, which prepares students for real-world jobs, including here at Chevron.