Texas couple provides $500,000 for OSU professorships in nutrition, engineering
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Williams’ hope gift encourages future donors to step forward and fund university academic
pursuits
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A current engineer and co-owner of Phoenix PetroCorp, Inc., Jim received his mechanical
engineering degree from OSU in 1979. The couple’s two children are currently enrolled
at OSU. The Williams’ focus on these two areas of discipline reflect a desire to
improve human health, particularly research studies focused on heart disease, as well
as to focus on energy developments as they related to energy independence and biofuels.
“We commend Jim and Lynne Williams for their willingness to step up at this time to
provide significant support to two critical areas of teaching and research at OSU,”
said OSU President Burns Hargis said. “We sincerely appreciate their vision, generosity
and passion for OSU.”
In order to take full advantage of the state’s dollar-for-dollar match, and make the
most significant impact on OSU academics, the Williams family made the gift prior
to the July 1 change in the state’s endowed chair matching program. The nutritional
sciences professorship will be housed within the College of Human Environmental Sciences,
and the engineering technology professorship will be located within the College of
Engineering, Architecture and Technology.
The couple were prompted to make the gift based on the high-quality education Jim
felt he received at OSU as well as their desire to improve the quality of human life
through research and education.
“I learned many life skills beyond a basic education at OSU that have served me very
well both personally and professionally,” said Jim. “I’m a business person, and after
Boone made his academic gift, it provided the encouragement needed to certainly accelerate
what we were wanting to do at OSU.”
Additionally, the Williams’ hope that their donation will create a “drag effect that
will inspire other OSU donors to step forward and make a difference through private
support.”
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 professorships 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.