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King & Diane Husein donate $5M to BYU College of Engineering; support ethics and integrity initiatives, student development

King Firoz and Diane Husein have made a $5 million donation to the BYU College of Engineering in support of student development efforts focused on ethics and integrity

The Huseins' donation will be used to help fund a variety of student experiences throughout the college that encourage students to cultivate strong moral character and foundations rooted in ethics and integrity.

King Husein is the CEO of SPAN Construction & Engineering, the country’s largest steel building construction company. The company holds the notable distinction as sole builder for all Costco stores worldwide (accounting for more than half of the company's business).

SPAN, under King's direction and in coordination with Jacobsen Construction, helped build BYU’s Engineering Building and Engineering Research Laboratory. King also helped coordinate a joint venture between Okland Construction and SPAN to build BYU’s athletic complex (including the student athlete building and indoor practice facility) and Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center. Additionally, SPAN was the design-build general contractor for the recent upgrades to LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"The Huseins' generosity, coupled with their genuine concern for success of our students, has been instrumental in moving our work forward," said College of Engineering dean Michael Jensen. "King is a first-class example to our students of how uncompromising personal integrity coupled with high technical competence can lead to remarkable impact."

The Huseins’ support of character development in engineering students isn’t surprising to those familiar with King’s personal business practices (including, most famously, not working on Sundays). SPAN’s business model also reflects that same integrity: “Keep our commitments – at all cost.”

Diane, originally from Star Valley, Wyoming, met King at BYU while he was working on his Master’s in Structural Engineering (‘71). Prior to moving to Utah, King completed his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from University of Bombay in India.

Diane and King have established a long legacy of giving back to BYU by mentoring students, donating to support important initiatives, and serving on the President’s Leadership Council. The Huseins have funded the King and Diane Husein Endowed Professorship in Civil & Environmental Engineering since 2002.