Outstanding Engineering Alumnus
Eleven top engineers were honored on Monday, April 10, at the 2006 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awards at the University Park campus. In addition to receiving their honors, the award recipients met with faculty and spoke with students during their visits to campus. The annual Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award is the highest honor conferred by the College of Engineering and recognizes graduates who have reached exceptional levels of professional achievements.
The architectural engineering department is pleased to announce that the 2006 recipient for architectural engineering was Charles 
Matts, of Erie, Pa., retired co-founder and president of Schick Matts Corp. Matts is a 1956 architectural engineering graduate. Matts is a well-rounded professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership ability throughout his career.
Matts attended Penn State University and graduated from the architectural engineering department with a bachelor’s degree in 1956. Matts is very proud of his Penn State architectural engineering degree and says that he came to Penn State because of his strong desire to work in this discipline.
Following graduation, Matts served in the Army Civil Corps during the Korean War. Afterwards, he worked as an architect with H. Platt Company in Erie, Pa. He also worked for several years with Hardner-Doyle Construction Company, also in Erie. In 1977, Matts, together with partner Dennis Schick, founded the firm of Schick Matts Construction Company in Erie. Acting as a general contractor primarily for commercial building projects, the firm of Schick Matts grew in size and prominence over the next twenty years.
Outside of work, Matts’ main interest is boating, and he has been a member of the Erie Yacht club for over 40 years. He is also an active member of the Erie Power Squadron and served as Treasurer for a number of years. The Erie Power Squadron is an organization dedicated to the advancement of safe boating education and provides educational materials and classes in a wide array ofsafe boating disciplines. He is also a member of the Erie Historical Society and the Flagship Niagara League.
Matts has been generous with his time and financial support of numerous charitable and philanthropic endeavors. He has a long-standing friendship with the AE department and has maintained an active role by serving regularly on the AE Senior Thesis jury. He has also demonstrated a strong commitment to support new initiatives to enhance the AE program through his generous donations to the AE Department Academic Excellence Endowment. In addition, he and his wife, Elie have also established a bequest to endow the Charles and Elinor Matts Professorship in AE. This generous gift will have a lasting impact on the AE department, allowing the department to enhance faculty ranks and encourage exceptional individuals to explore innovative activities in teaching and research for the good of the whole department.
The faculty and staff of the Department of Architectural Engineering join in congratulating Charles Matts on the prestigious honor of being named a 2006 Outstanding Engineering Alumnus.