A. Charles Funai

Chuck Funai (BS ’78) said The University of Tulsa has become a major player in academia thanks in large part to the transformations that have occurred across the campus in recent years. The positive changes make Funai even more proud of being named a 2011 TU Distinguished Alumnus. “I am very humbled by this honor and will cherish it for many years to come,” he said. A staunch supporter of the university, Funai has contributed to TU’s Annual Fund every year since his graduation. He has concentrated his support within the Collins College of Business where he received the valuable lessons that helped him become vice president and chief financial officer at Cummins Southern Plains, LLC, in Arlington, Texas.

“The University of Tulsa is certainly noted for its petroleum engineering program, but businesses, governments, and other institutions around the world clearly have begun to see TU as a source of talent in many other fields. TU’s reputation for high-quality graduates is spreading,” he said. “I firmly believe that the Collins College of Business has become one of the best business schools in the midsection of the United States.” In addition to the academic rigors, Funai said he learned teamwork at TU that has served him well throughout his career. Building long-lasting relationships with employees, customers, governments, and even competitors is a necessity in the workplace, he said.

In the mid-1980s, he was part of the Troon Partners, Ltd., team that assisted Texas-based oil and gas company Chapman Energy in avoiding bankruptcy. Troon, whose general partner was Milmac Inc. of Dallas, took control of Chapman, and Funai was elected to the company’s board in 1987. He served as a vice president at Milmac before joining Cummins Southern Plains in 1991. Funai noted that he has witnessed many advances in the university’s physical campus and academic reputation since he left Tulsa for graduate school at Northwestern University. He credited the positive developments to TU’s visionary administrative leadership, a dedicated and strong academic faculty, and growing support from both community leaders and alumni during the past decade.

“There is a group dedicated to making sure the university continues to improve every year,” Funai said. “These latest achievements will have a tremendous impact on Tulsa, the state, and the region.” From erecting residential halls and apartments so students can live comfortably on campus to developing a consistent unifying architecture, Funai said TU has worked to create a sense of belonging that will benefit the university for decades. Generous friends and alumni have turned this dream of a vibrant, cohesive campus into a reality.

To honor his parents’ memory, Funai made a special gift to TU’s new Lorton Performance Center: three beautiful Steinway grand pianos and a harp. He also has sponsored the Funai Faculty Fellowship in Accounting and recently made a commitment to fund a professorship endowment in the Collins College of Business. He also has helped TU students obtain internships at his office.
In addition to his Distinguished Alumni recognition at TU, Funai also was honored by Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management in 2005 with an Alumni Service Award. He received his master’s degree in business management from Northwestern in 1980.

“Chuck helped grow Cummins Southern Plains into one of the world’s largest distributors of Cummins engines. His acumen in the business world has been proven time and again,” said Gale Sullenberger, dean of the Collins College of Business. “Chuck is emblematic of the caliber of alumni coming from TU, and his dedication to this institution is remarkable.”