Faculty Support Initiatives Gain Momentum

Miami University has enjoyed recent successes in its commitment to recruiting and retaining gifted teachers and scholars for its students.

Since the university-wide Campaign For Love and Honor began in 2002, alumni and friends of Miami have created 22 new endowed professorships or faculty chairs, including 17 endowed funds since 2006. The acceleration is due in large measure to President David Hodge's charge to raise the total number of professorships and faculty chairs across the university to 100. The current total stands at 51 endowed positions.

As a means to achieve this benchmark, the Miami University Foundation created the Miami Matching Initiatives Program, which provides a $100,000 match in certain instances to encourage donors to create endowed faculty chairs and professorships. Professorships are endowed at a minimum of $400,000 and chairs at $1 million.

Among the latest commitments are two professorships and one faculty chair from C. Michael `61 and Anne Armstrong `61 as part of their overall commitment to the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies and a professorship in geology from Janet `51 and Elliot Baines.

Recently, President Hodge and Provost Jeffrey Herbst awarded the first professorship created as part of the matching program. Allen McConnell, professor of psychology, has been named the inaugural Jim and Beth Lewis Endowed Professor – this endowed professorship was created last year by Jim '63 and Beth Lewis of New York.