James McClelland Jr.
2021
James McClelland Jr.
BSCE '67
Owner & CEO
McClelland Consulting Engineers Inc.
James “Jim” E. McClelland Jr. grew up in Fayetteville and graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
McClelland worked during college for four different engineering firms: John Mahaffy & Associates, McClelland Engineers in Houston, Texas, (Uncle Bram McClelland’s firm), his dad’s company and Mehlburger Engineers.
He learned about donating scholarships his senior year as president of the ASCE chapter when he helped select a student for a scholarship given in honor of a former student.
After college, McClelland worked for 10 years for Mehlburger Engineers and encouraged the Mehlburgers to extend a scholarship to senior engineering students at the University of Arkansas.
In 1977, he opened the office of McClelland Consulting Engineers in Little Rock, Arkansas, which today is the home office for the company. The Little Rock office operates in all areas of the state except Northwest Arkansas, providing civil, environmental, surveying and water testing services to municipal governments, state and federal governments, developers, and private companies. McClelland has directed hundreds of engineering projects that have improved the living conditions and are all intended to follow the company slogan “designed to serve.”
Over the years, McClelland has provided civic leadership by serving and leading many local and state organizations, including the Arkansas Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, the Arkansas Health Department Board of Directors, the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers, the Arkansas Heart Association, the Little Rock Engineers Club, the Old State House Museum Association, and he has served on the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, the Pulaski County Junction Bridge Facilities Board of Directors, and the University of Arkansas Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.
McClelland also had a huge hand in making Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research and Education Center a reality. The 37,400-square-foot state of the art facility opened in July and provides space for 15 faculty members and 75 students to conduct research on a large-scale.
Plus, on September 10, 2021, Jim McClelland and his wife, Pat, were recognized as Chancellor’s Medal recipients at the Towers of Old Main event for giving $100,000 + to the university.