Through two gift campaigns totaling $2.5 million, the Department of Geosciences in the University of Arkansas’ Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences seeks to create more access to field-based learning opportunities in perpetuity for future students.

These two endowment campaigns — the Dr. T.A. “Mac” McGilvery, Karen R. McGilvery and Maurice F. Storm Field Experience Endowed Chair, and the Endowment for Field Experiences — will allow the department to further its efforts to attract top-tier faculty and students while providing valuable real-world, hands-on learning opportunities.

The Dr. T.A. “Mac” McGilvery, Karen R. McGilvery and Maurice F. Storm Field Experience Endowed Chair

A lead commitment of $1.2 million of the total $1.5 million campaign goal to create this endowment has already been generously contributed by T.A. “Mac” McGilvery, Karen R. McGilvery and Maurice F. Storm.

Endowed chairs are among the highest honors a university can bestow on faculty, and by creating a new chair, the trio of alumni expect it to help attract the most distinguished scholars to teach, research, mentor and lead in the Department of Geosciences.

Field experiences are at the core of the geosciences curriculum. The faculty member named to the new McGilvery-Storm Field Experience Endowed Chair will not only serve as a leader in the department, but a leader in field experiences by facilitating the immersive learning experiences outside the classroom that are a hallmark of a geoscience education.

“The education we received and friendships we made while at the University of Arkansas have had a profound impact on our lives,” Mac McGilvery said. “Karen and I are thrilled to make this significant contribution to the Department of Geosciences to ensure that field experiences remain a key part of our curriculum for generations to come.”

Chancellor Charles Robinson thanked the McGilverys and Storm for their support, which he said will be transformational “not only for the department, but for the students who will now have even more chances to participate in these formative experiences.”

“Investments like this are what will keep our university and our state at the forefront of research and innovation in the field of geosciences,” he added.

Fulbright College Dean Brian E. Raines said he “could not be more thankful to Mac, Karen and Storm for the generosity they have shown Fulbright College. As each has also demonstrated, hands-on learning outside of the classroom can be some of the most impactful in a student’s academic journey and is something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

“Gifts such as this will create those pivotal moments for our graduates, and by structuring this campaign as an endowment, we will ensure that students will permanently have access to these experiences,” he added.

Karen and Mac McGilvery at the Fulbright Peace Fountain. (Photo by Michael Stoker)

Mac and Karen McGilvery met as students at the U of A while both were working in the University of Arkansas Museum. Mac, whose 35-year career in geology took him all over the world, became an adjunct professor of geosciences at the U of A in 2015.

Karen, a graduate of the Department of Anthropology, worked in museums throughout her career. Now, she serves on the University of Arkansas Museum Advisory Board and volunteers her time at the University of Arkansas Museum and Apple Seeds Teaching Farm.

“Their deep commitment to education carries the torch forward for future students’ benefit,” Raines said.

Through its investment to recruit and retain world-class faculty, this endowment also seeks to attract exceptional students through its commitment to hands-on learning. This has been a critical part of the geosciences curriculum for over 100 years.

“Field experiences were transformational events in my education,” Mac McGilvery said. “For many of us, it was professors Walt Manger and Doy Zachry running field camp, spring break field trips or weekend trips. The learnings, the shared experiences and challenges are what bond us to the department.”

McGilvery enjoyed those experiences while he earned both his B.S. in geology in 1978 and M.S. in geology in 1980 from the U of A.

Maurice F. Storm

Likewise, Maurice F. Storm completed his bachelor’s degree in geology from the U of A. He has previously supported the Department of Geosciences with the gift of an endowed chair, the Maurice F. Storm Endowed Chair in Energy.

Storm said he is now seeking to multiply his impact by partnering with Mac and Karen to endow this new position.

“The geological sciences heavily rely on in-person observation, analysis and critical thinking,” Storm said. “The geologic sciences in particular require more time out of the classroom and out in the field than almost any other discipline.”

“Understanding the scale of depositional and structural systems and how they change over large areas is crucial. These relationships can be best understood by standing on the outcrops and holding the rocks in your hands to see what they are made of,” he added.

Endowment for Field Experiences

Similarly, the second gift campaign also focuses on creating impactful field experiences for geoscience students.

This is critical, as many geoscience students and alumni alike consider field experiences both a rite of passage and an essential part of many related jobs, whether in industry, research or academia.

The second campaign, the Endowment for Field Experiences, will directly fund the various field camps and trips coordinated through the first campaign’s McGilvery-Storm Field Experience Endowed Chair.

These funds will cover travel logistics, supplies, equipment and scholarships to reduce financial barriers that can prevent students from pursuing a degree in the geosciences.

Jason A. Tullis, professor of geography and chair of the Department of Geosciences, said these gifts are key to attract and help more students and “represent a sea change in our capacity to offer state-of-the-art field experiences to undergraduate and graduate students in geosciences.”

“The gifts also honor previous generations of geoscientists at the U of A and going forward, set the stage for our international competitive edge,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how these gifts impact the problem-solving abilities, career prospects and quality of life of our students.”

Tullis also shared that some of his fondest career memories also involve field work, a feeling he’s eager for more students to soon experience first-hand.

“When I think about my off-trail fire ecology work for the USDA Forest Service in the 1990s, I remember pure excitement when discovering an approximately 400-year-old Gambel oak stem hidden in Utah’s mountains,” he said.

Likewise, Mac McGilvery reflected on the integral role field experiences played during his time as a student.

“Arriving at the campsite late in the evening, setting up and cooking dinner in 35-degree weather with a 20-mph wind and then waking up at the south rim of the Grand Canyon with all its geology on display – that’s what this is all about,” he said.

Storm agreed, adding that “no one can be a truly effective geoscientist unless they have spent time in the field walking the outcrops.”

“Our goal is to be sure that all future students, both in the geosciences and other disciplines, will have access to high-quality field education experiences in the future,” he said. “We want to ensure that they graduate with the best education possible that will serve them as well in their future endeavors as our degrees have served us.”

---

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit at the University of Arkansas with three schools, 16 departments and numerous academic programs and research centers. The college provides the majority of the core curriculum for all U of A students. Get the inside scoop on all things Fulbright College by subscribing to the digital Fulbright REVIEW publication. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.