Academic Endowments

Endowed Academic Departments or Divisions

Endowed academic departments or divisions are established with a minimum gift of $1,000,000. Earnings from the endowment are used in perpetuity to support and enrich the educational mission of the endowed department or division.

The R. Rife and Carolyn Cole Saunders Division of Nursing

The Dixie Moss Music Department Enrichment Fund

Endowed Chairs

Endowed academic chairs are established with a minimum gift of $500,000. Earnings from the endowment are used in perpetuity to attract and support outstanding professors and the departments in which they teach. Five endowed academic chairs have been established:

The Herman and Norma Walker Chair in Sociology

*The Coughlin-Saunders Foundation Chair in Nursing
Dr. Marilyn Cooksey, Professor of Nursing
Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health

*The C. J. Cavanaugh Chair in Biology
Dr. Wade Warren, Professor of Biology

The Olive Ann Rau Chair in English
Dr. Jeannie Gauthier, Associate Professor of English
Chair of the Division of Language and Literature

Endowed Professorships

Endowed academic professorships are established with a minimum gift of $100,000. Earnings from the endowment are used in perpetuity to assist compensation of deserving professors. The following endowed academic professorships have been established:

*The BellSouth Professorship (Liberal Arts)
Dr. Nancy Whitlock, Professor of Spanish

The James C. Bolton Professorship in Management
Dr. Juan Castro, Professor of Business

The W. Peterson Carter, Jr. Professorship in Biblical Studies
Dr. Justin Langford, Associate Professor of Missions and Ministries
Chair of the Division of Missions and Ministries

The John and Dot Colvin Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Religion

The Richard L. Crowell Professorship in Pre-Law
Dr. Christine Reese, Associate Professor of History
Chair of the Division of History and Political Science

*The Carolyn Adams Dawson Professorship in Mathematics
Dr. Mingchu Gao, Professor of Mathematics

*The Erroll Dawson Distinguished Professorship in Social Work
Dr. Sheri Duffy, Professor of Social Work
Program Director of MSW

The Lyndon E. Dawson, Sr. Professorship in Religion

The Donald Duggan Professorship in Religion
Dr. Amy Craig, Associate Professor of Education
Dean of the School of Education

The Durham Family Professorship in Business
Dr. Adena LeJeune, Associate Professor of Business
Chair of the Division of Business

The John and Allie Fogleman Professorship in Religion 

The Ray Frye Professorship in Business
Dr. Arthur Mazhambe, Professor of Business

The J.E. Hixson Professorship in English
Dr. Lillian Purdy, Professor of English

*The Hogan Family Professorship
Dr. Henry Robertson, Associate Professor of History

The George F. Kirby Professorship in Chemistry
Dr. David Elliott, Professor of Chemistry
Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Math

*The Claude Kent Kirkpatrick Professorship in Health and Physical Education
Dr. Sonia Tinsley, Associate Professor of Health and Exercise Science
Chair of the Division of Allied Health

The Edith Killgore Kirkpatrick Professorship in Music
Dr. Kate Rawls, Associate Professor of Music

*The McCormick-Huie Professorship in English/Journalism


The Hubert & Madolene D. Reding Professorship in Management
Mr. David Culp, Associate Professor of Business

The E.O. Wood Professorship in Communication Arts
Dr. Elizabeth Clarke, Associate Professor of Media and Communication
Chair of the Division of Media, Communication, and Theatre

        The James A. Young Professorship in Religion
Dr. Tylitha Whatley, Professor of Missions and Ministries

Eugenia Dawson Professorship in Art
Ms. WangLing Chou, MFA, Professor of Art

Claude & Lois Colvin Endowed Professorship in Theatre
Ms. Tabitha Huffman, MFA, Professor of Theatre

L. P. Dawson Professorship in History
Dr. Scott Pickard, Associate Professor of History

*denotes endowed chairs and professorships established in conjunction with the Board of Regents Support Fund (BoRSF). The Support Fund is constitutionally dedicated to promote excellence in higher education, which includes the endowment of chairs and professorships. BoRSF faculty endowment programs are designed to provide matching resources to non-State donations, the earnings from which support the productivity and performance of superior faculty.