January 21, 2013

Endowed chair celebration honors nine Vanderbilt faculty

The extraordinary academic achievements of nine Vanderbilt University endowed chair holders were recognized during a Jan. 17 ceremony at the Student Life Center.

L-r: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Richard McCarty, Kevin B. Johnson, Celia S. Applegate, David G. Blackbourn, Sergio Fazio, Tony K. Stewart, Haydar A. Frangoul, William O. Cooper, R. Jay Turner, Steven A. Webber, MacRae F. Linton and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine Jeff Balser. (Vanderbilt University)
L-r: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Richard McCarty, Kevin B. Johnson, Celia S. Applegate, David G. Blackbourn, Sergio Fazio, Tony K. Stewart, Haydar A. Frangoul, William O. Cooper, R. Jay Turner, Steven A. Webber, MacRae F. Linton and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine Jeff Balser. (Vanderbilt University)

The extraordinary academic achievements of nine Vanderbilt University endowed chair holders were recognized during a Jan. 17 ceremony at the Student Life Center.

The budgetary challenges now facing lawmakers make the role of philanthropy more important than ever “for maintaining the shine of our research and scholarship programs,” according to Jeff Balser, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.

“We are grateful for the generous gifts that support these endowments,” Balser said. “They represent true commitments to knowledge and innovation that last forever, helping generations to come.”

Richard McCarty, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, joined Balser in thanking the donors and honoring the nine chair holders. They are:

The Jan. 17 celebration was the ninth in a series of events to celebrate Vanderbilt’s exceptional scholars who have been named to endowed chairs.

Since the major university initiative to recruit and retain outstanding scholars and teachers was announced by Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos in August 2010, 94 chair holders have been recognized at institution-wide celebrations.