UND Today: In a formal affair in front of a packed house, eight UND faculty members were honored recently in the third annual Faculty Investiture Ceremony & Celebration in the Gorecki Alumni Center.
Decked out in full regalia befitting their academic standing, each honoree received their drape or medallion as part of UND’s elite class of endowed faculty — one of the highest academic honors the University can bestow.
An endowed chair, professorship or fellowship lasts for as long as the University exists and is both an honor to the named holder of the position and an enduring tribute to the donor who establishes it.
DeAnna Carlson Zink, chief executive officer of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation — which hosted the event in partnership with the offices of the President and Provost — told guests in her opening remarks that “faculty and research” are among the University’s top priorities for its $500 million “Forever UND” campaign, which was launched last fall.
“Of this goal, $120 million is dedicated to faculty and research, and part of our focus is increasing the number of faculty endowments,” Carlson Zink said. “Right now, we have just over 60. We are aiming for 100. An ambitious goal, yes, but an important one.
“Endowed faculty give students the opportunity to work alongside the most talented scholars and researchers to solve global grand challenges. By increasing endowed positions, we’re able to recruit and retain faculty, ultimately enhancing student learning.”
A case in point
Carlson Zink was talking about people such as Jeremiah Neubert, who last year was named the Mark and Claudia Thompson National Security Faculty Fellow in UND’s College of Engineering & Mines.
In a nod to Neubert and UND alumni and donors Mark and Claudia Thompson — sitting side by side in the front row — Carlson Zink opened her presentation with a warm greeting and short video that featured the trio and showcased the power of endowments.
Neubert, a Mechanical Engineering professor with expertise in augmented reality and visual tracking, appeared in the clip as he led a team of UND researchers working on a multiyear Department of Defense contract. As a specially equipped Humvee rolled across the screen and the open fields of North Dakota, he talked about how the endowment — both the distinction and the money it brings — will give him more opportunity to serve his country.
“I want to make sure we give the best tools possible to the people who are out there on the frontlines,” Neubert said. “For me, it’s personal, because my dad was a Marine. I have a lot of family members who served in the military. I want to make sure that every one of them goes in with the best chance to be successful at whatever they’re doing. This gift is a way to do that.”
Both in the video and later in person, Neubert stressed how the Thompsons’ gift also will allow him to serve his students in important ways that otherwise would not be possible.
“I plan to fund a lot of student research with this gift. It’s going to be a great mechanism to recruit students and encourage them to publish,” he said. “One of the greatest things I can do is send students to a lot of places, and I think it’s really going to grow the research prestige in the lab. (It’s a great experience) when students can go to conferences and see how the research we’re doing is impacting things and how we’re competitive.
“I think sometimes there can be a feeling that, ‘Well, it’s just North Dakota,’ but then they go and see everyone else’s research and say, ‘Wait, man, we’re right there with the best of the best.’ That’s really exciting.”
What the donors had to say
For their part, the beaming Thompsons shared that one of their biggest rewards is just knowing that they’ve been able to help make a difference.
“Our time in the Air Force had a very profound effect on us,” Mark Thompson said. “As far as how we feel about this country and national defense and the sacrifice that military people give … to think that we had the ability this many years down the road to still serve our country by providing funding for a position such as this — where Jeremiah and his students will be leading the initiatives and develop something that could possibly save lives — that’s a winner right there.”
And this from Claudia Thompson: “It’s like we’ve added another family member. It feels so good. Jeremiah is incredible, and we know he is going to do amazing things.”
Words from the president
As the video closed and President Andy Armacost took the stage, he looked to the Thompsons and Neubert and thanked them. He then announced that just moments before the day’s ceremony, the Thompsons had gifted the University another $1 million toward its new STEM complex — its National Security Corridor will bear their name.
“When we first started talking about the importance of UND’s contributions to national security, Mark and Claudia were the first to raise their hands and say, ‘We can make a difference,’” the president told the guests. “I’m so thrilled that your generosity and your hearts have made opportunities like Jeremiah happen, as well as opportunities for countless other students you’re going to impact through this next gift you just signed this afternoon. Well done. Thank you!”
Armacost went on to express his delight in welcoming 14,724 students to campus on Day One of fall semester. Even before the official census, at which the number is expected to grow, the freshman class is up more than 20 percent over last year, he said.
He spoke of “seeing hundreds upon hundreds of students” taking part in an activities fair outside the Memorial Union all that week, while he praised and credited endowment donors and faculty for their impact.
“It’s amazing and it’s powerful … and for a president, it warms my heart,” he said. “For each of you in this room — whether you are faculty members, staff members, alumni, donors, friends of the University — it should warm your heart as well to see the incredible momentum that has been created here at UND. One way we do that is by attracting and retaining top faculty members to be the front face of education with our students.
“It’s endowed professorships that make that happen. These endowments allow our professors to connect so much more strongly with our students and offer enrichment in ways we couldn’t expect. You make a difference in the lives of our students. You are the reason why 14,724 students chose to be here on Day One. Congratulations.”
For Harold Hamm Distinguished Professor Kelden Pehr, the ceremony was part of a whirlwind introduction to UND. Brand-new to North Dakota and UND, the assistant professor of Geology and Geological Engineering had arrived on campus only two weeks earlier.
“This is a fantastic opportunity,” Pehr said. “I really appreciate being able to come to UND and do the research that I want to do. I also look forward to providing our students the science and education that will help them in the workforce once they leave the University.”
Being named the Korus Institute of Policy and Business Analytics Executive Director Professor was the third endowed position for David Flynn, professor of Economics and Finance. He said that the budget resources have afforded him the ability to further important work.
“Named positions also convey externally, some degree of status, particularly with other faculty at campuses around the country and the world,” he said. “The fact that you’ve got a named position is an indicator that your institution puts you at a level of success worthy of this kind of notoriety and merit. It puts you on an interesting footing. You’re somebody who has that kind of credibility.”
Meet the newest honorees
The newly appointed endowed faculty, their named positions of honor, along with their regular titles, departments and colleges, include:
- Timothy Pasch, Charles R. “Chuck” Johnson Endowed Professor. (Professor, Communication Department, Arts & Sciences)
- David Flynn, Korus Institute of Policy and Business Analytics Executive Director Professor. (Professor, Economics & Finance, Nistler College of Business & Public Administration)
- Ryan E. Flinn, Rose Isabella Kelly Fischer Professor. (Assistant professor, Education, Health & Behavior, College of Education & Human Development)
- Joanna Ryan, Hopper Danley Faculty Fellow. (Assistant professor, Teaching & Leadership, College of Education & Human Development)
- Richard A. Schultz, Continental Resources Distinguished Professor. (Department chair, Energy & Petroleum Engineering, College of Engineering & Mines)
- Kelden Pehr, Harold Hamm Distinguished Professor. (Associate professor, Geology & Geological Engineering, College of Engineering & Mines)
- Julia Ernst, Floyd B. Sperry Professor. (Professor of law, School of Law)
- Steven Morrison, R. Johnson Fellow. (Professor of law, School of Law)
>> Watch the ceremony. Click the link to see the full ceremony with additional donor remarks by alum Phil Gisi, entrepreneur, business founder and CEO of real estate, senior housing and home-based health care companies, as well as faculty remarks by Amanda Haage, Kaess Endowed Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology.
>> Find a full list of UND’s endowed faculty positions. Plus, read more stories and see more videos illustrating the power of endowments.
