May 21--A California couple has pledged $5 million to Marquette University's engineering school to endow a chair in secure and renewable energy systems.

The faculty member who holds the Thomas H. and Suzanne M. Werner Chair in Secure and Renewable Energy Systems will lead a multidisciplinary research cluster of four to six faculty members and develop a cutting-edge curriculum, Stan Jaskolski, Marquette's Opus dean of engineering, said in a news release.

Thomas Werner said his vision for the program is that it "trains new technologists in a new field and primes the pump for America to be the innovator in renewable energy."

"Our hope is that we see tangible accomplishments in a field that's important to the planet," Werner said in an interview.

The gift will position Marquette as a leader in southeastern Wisconsin in this academic area, where students will work with faculty to pursue fields such as solar electric energy generation, modern electric drives and the design of products that make energy consumption more efficient, Jaskolski said.

"Our gift will have a lasting impact in attracting new talent to the pursuit of renewable energy/sustainability solutions at an institution we believe will make a difference," Werner, chief executive officer of SunPower Corp., said in the release.

After graduating from high school in New Berlin, Werner earned an electrical engineering degree from Marquette in 1986. San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower makes solar electric systems for residential, commercial and utility-scale power plant customers.

The Werner Chair is the third faculty chair endowed for Marquette's engineering school in the past three years. Since becoming dean in 2003, Jaskolski has raised more than $100 million for the College of Engineering.

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