UA Chancellor, Wife Endow Chair in Engineering

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Mary Lib and UA Chancellor John A. White have made a gift of an annuity that ultimately guarantees $1.5 million to the University at their deaths to establish an endowed chair in the University of Arkansas College of Engineering.

 The John and Mary Lib White Systems Integration Chair will be used to attract and retain highly qualified individuals to the department of industrial engineering. The Whites’ gift will be matched by $1.5 million from the Matching Gift Program to create an endowment to support the chair.

“This is an incredible act of leadership on behalf of the Whites,” said G. David Gearhart, vice chancellor for University Advancement. “The fact that Chancellor and Mrs. White have provided such significant support throughout the Campaign is an outstanding example of blending philanthropic and academic leadership. This gift commitment is the ultimate demonstration of leading by example because it shows that our chief executive officer believes in the work we’re doing, and the importance of raising private gift support and we thank them for their generosity.”

In addition to this latest gift, the Whites have made previous gift commitments to the Campaign for the Twenty-first Century totaling more than $400,000 in support of a broad range of campus-wide initiatives, including academic and athletic programs and projects during the Campaign.

Ashok Saxena, dean of the College of Engineering, said: “John and Mary Lib have always invested in ideas they are passionate about. This commitment is only the latest example of their dedication to the University of Arkansas: indeed to the future of higher education throughout the state. This chair will provide an important legacy for two of our college’s greatest champions and help to strengthen our nationally recognized department of industrial engineering.”

Chancellor White, an Arkansas native, is in his eighth year as chancellor of the University of Arkansas and Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering. A 1962 College of Engineering industrial engineering graduate, Chancellor White’s background includes extensive experience in academe, business and government. He has served as dean of engineering at Georgia Tech and was a member of the Georgia Tech faculty for 22 years. He has served in leadership roles for a number of engineering institutes and societies and was assistant director for engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Additionally, he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and serving a second six-year term on the National Science Board. Chancellor White has been recognized many times for his service and has received awards including the NSF Distinguished Service Award, and the Rodney D. Chipp Memorial Award from the Society of Women Engineers. He twice received the Institute of Industrial Engineers Book of the Year award. He is currently an ex-officio member of both the Campaign Steering Committee, the volunteer leadership group for the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, and the 2010 Commission, the volunteer group of 92 distinguished business leaders, educators and governmental leaders whose charge is to make the case for increased public support of higher education in general and the University of Arkansas in particular. A past president of the Southeastern Conference, White was recently named to a new NCAA subcommittee on Presidential Leadership of Internal and External Constituencies and honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice as its humanitarian of the year. Chancellor White has served as a consultant to numerous corporations and government agencies. His current board memberships include J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.; Logility Inc.; Motorola Inc.; and Russell Corp.  He is currently chairman of the board for the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.

“It’s a pleasure to support my alma mater in this way,” said UA Chancellor John A. White. “Mary Lib and I are very fortunate to be here during this period of the University’s history. Because we believe excellence in education is the key to making the State of Arkansas stronger, we want to do all that we can to help make the University of Arkansas a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world.”

Mrs. White earned her bachelor’s degree in home economics and sociology at East Tennessee State University and taught home economics for four years in Kingsport, Tenn. She has been an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society, Meals on Wheels, Kappa Delta, the Arkansas Chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas Community Advisory Board and numerous other organizations. She served as chair of the University House renovation committee. As a member of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Women in Philanthropy Committee, she became a charter member of the Women’s Giving Circle. She is active in the University Women’s Club. In 2004, Mary Lib White was named an honorary alumna by the Arkansas Alumni Association. In April 2000, she and Chancellor White were inducted into the Towers of Old Main, a cumulative giving society, in recognition of their generous philanthropy. The Whites have two children and four grandchildren.

Mary Lib White said, “The University of Arkansas is my adopted institution and being named an honorary alumna was one of the greatest honors of my life. Arkansas is home for John and me and we’re pleased that we can give back to a university that has been such a big part of our lives together.”

Gearhart said, “The Whites have philanthropically supported almost every project and program at the U of A. They are not only dedicating their lives to the University, but are investing in it with their personal giving.”

For a second year in a row, the graduate programs of the civil and industrial engineering departments at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering have been ranked by U.S. News and World Report in its newly released America’s Best Graduate Schools 2006.

The industrial engineering program was ranked 30th, along with programs at two other universities. The civil engineering department was ranked at the 78th position, along with programs at eight other universities.

Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Update

. Campaign for the Twenty-First Century goal: $1 billion

. The Campaign total — counts all gifts and pledges to academic and athletic purposes as of June 10, 2005: $981.6 million.
 
. Campaign funds are being used for: student and faculty endowments, program creation and enhancement, capital projects, annual support and endowment growth.