On Tuesday, June 20th, Drexel University Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree recipient and founder of the Nyheim Endowed Chair of Engineering, John Nyheim and his wife Chris, visited the Drexel Plasma Institute for the official presentation of an oil portrait of the benefactor himself.

The Nyheims were also treated to a tour of the Drexel Plasma Institute and were given the opportunity to see firsthand some of the exciting research projects related to plasma and other high-energy engineering technologies.
John A. Nyheim is among the longest-serving members of the Drexel University Board of Trustees. He has been a University trustee continuously since his 1989 appointment, and has made a special impact as chair of the Board’s Investment Committee. During his decade-long tenure as investment chair, Drexel’s endowment has grown by more than 350 percent, to $424 million.

In 1999 he established the Nyheim Endowed Chair of Engineering at Drexel, currently held by Dr. Alexander Fridman in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics. Mr. Nyheim’s chair support has enabled the College of Engineering to establish the Drexel Plasma Institute, which has received several million dollars in research grants from government agencies including the Department of Energy and NASA.

Recognizing his many years of concerned stewardship of Drexel University, the University conferred upon John A. Nyheim the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in 2005.
Mr. Nyheim also serves on several Philadelphia boards, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Curtis Institute of Music and the Academy of Vocal Arts, where the John A. Nyheim Fellowship is named in his honor. He is a member of the board of the Society of Four Arts in Palm Beach, Fla.

Born in Oakland, Calif., Mr. Nyheim graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1958 with an undergraduate degree in economics. He received his Master of Arts degree in economics from Yale in 1960 and embarked on a career as a highly successful investment management professional with Wellington Management and now with his own firm, Nyheim & Associates.

He and his wife Chris have two sons, Thomas and Peter, and four grandchildren. The Nyheims maintain residences in Villanova, Pa., Palm Beach, Fla. (where they have hosted a number of Drexel alumni events) and Jackson Hole,Wyo. Among their many interests are hiking, horseback riding and world travel.