OK Farm Credit associations unite to fund OSU agricultural finance professorship
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Position to establish nationally renowned program within agriculture college
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Organization officials noted that proper financial management of Oklahoma’s farms,
ranches and agribusiness is critical in an ever changing global agricultural economy.
The professorship will help fulfill critical educational needs to preserve the viability
of Oklahoma’s agricultural industry.
“This gift is a wonderful testimony of the special relationship between the Oklahoma
agricultural industry and OSU. The two have worked together since before statehood
to make Oklahoma farmers, ranchers and agribusiness successful,” said OSU President
Burns Hargis. “We applaud the Farm Credit Associations for their role in that success
and for making this important gift to academics at OSU.”
In order to take full advantage of the state’s dollar-for-dollar match, and make the
most significant impact on OSU academics, Farm Credit made the gift prior to the July
1 change in the state’s endowed chair matching program. The Oklahoma Farm Credit
Professorship of Agricultural Finance will be housed in the College of Agricultural
Sciences and Natural Resources.
The Farm Credit gift was made through all seven of the organization’s associations:
Farm Credit Services of East Central Oklahoma, Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, Chisholm
Trail Farm Credit, AgPreference, Farm Credit of Central Oklahoma, FLBA of Ponca City
and Farm Credit of Enid.
“As a customer-owned cooperative focused on agriculture, this is an indirect gift
from our customers to OSU. Farm Credit customers both present and future will ultimately
benefit from the gift,” said John Poindexter, president and CEO of Farm Credit of
East Central Oklahoma. “Farm Credit also has a strong hiring history with OSU grads,
and it is befitting to give back to a university who will also help attract future
employees for our organization.”
The gift was also prompted by Pickens’ historic $100 million academic donation on
May 21. Pickens’ gift will more than double the number of current faculty chair and
professorship positions at the university and he generously agreed that his donation
can be used to match other donor gifts to faculty chairs and professorships in the
area of the donor’s choice, and in the name of their choice. With the state match
on both gifts, OSU donors can see their gift to fund a faculty chair quadruple.
Jean Van Delinder, chair of the OSU Faculty Council, said, “OSU is poised for growth
and further prominence but to realize its full potential we must continue to attract
and retain top scholars and researchers. These chairs highlight the important role
that scholarship and teaching play at Oklahoma State University, and they are made
possible through the generous support of donors who value excellence in scholarship
and want to help OSU continue to nurture a strong faculty.”
Endowed professorship and chairs are academic designations which provide support for
faculty salary, graduate assistantships, equipment and research needs, as well as
other support. These endowed faculty positions allow a university to attract and
retain the best and the brightest academic minds in the world.