KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 9, 2023

Kennesaw State University alumnus Reza Abree ’78 recently provided two gifts to KSU, one an endowed scholarship and the other a contribution to a construction management building on Kennesaw State’s Marietta campus.

“As a child growing up, I learned you should never forget where you came from and how you got there,” Abree said. “KSU has been one of the vehicles that brought me where I am.”

The Reza Abree Endowed Scholarship provides financial support to an undergraduate student majoring in construction management, civil engineering, construction engineering or environmental engineering, with preference given to those studying civil engineering. Abree established the scholarship with a gift of $25,000 that was matched by the former Southern Polytechnic Foundation of KSU, making the total commitment $50,000.

Additionally, Abree gave $20,000 to benefit the University’s future construction management building, with the intent of naming a faculty office within the new structure.

To be eligible for the scholarship, the KSU student must also be an undergraduate enrolled full time with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0.

After working at various construction companies around metropolitan Atlanta, Abree founded United Consulting in 1990 and serves as chief executive officer. Abree, a registered professional engineer in Georgia, has built Norcross-based United Consulting into one of the top engineering firms in the area. He earned his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering technology in Marietta, Georgia, at what was then called Southern Technical Institute.

“The scholarship gift of Reza Abree will enable KSU students to overcome their financial difficulty and complete their studies faster,” said Dr. Khalid Siddiqi, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Construction Management at Kennesaw State. “It is alums like Reza who give back to their institution to create another success story, and this is one way of creating their own legacy. I have known Reza for some time and I am greatly impressed by his involvement in community development activities.

“Reza has a great story to tell because he started from scratch and has been able to create a successful consulting firm which specializes in geotechnical engineering and his operations spread all over the southeastern United States. We appreciate the scholarship endowment created by Reza to benefit KSU students.”

On April 19, 2019, Abree was on Kennesaw State’s Marietta campus for a scholarship signing ceremony and luncheon. After lunch, he toured the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, along with the Department of Construction Management.