A gift from Rollin and Caroline Eckis, combined with matching funds from the Atlantic Richfield Company and contributions from SDSU faculty and staff, established The Rollin and Caroline Eckis Chair in Seismology at SDSU. Rollin Eckis is former president of Richfield Oil Company and vice chairman of the board of Atlantic Richfield Company.
The first appointee to the Chair, Dr. Steven M. Day, conducts research on the mechanics of earthquakes and earthquake hazards.