Endowed Professorships
At the heart of any great institution are the people whose vision and talent define it. In the School of Engineering, we seek funding that will enable us to attract and retain world-class engineering scholars and the most promising students.
Being able to recognize faculty with support at various stages in their careers—junior faculty with startup funds, mid-career faculty to applaud outstanding achievements, or senior faculty to reward a body of work over a lifetime—is integral to maintaining the highest quality of educators and researchers.
When faculty members distinguish themselves among Stanford’s outstanding scholars, their contributions must truly be exceptional. The highest honor the university can bestow upon such a member of its faculty is the endowed professorship. At the School of Engineering the honor recognizes the important combination of excellence in research, teaching, and service to the community. Just as the roster of endowed professorship holders stands as an honor roll of the most distinguished faculty members in any generation, the roster of professorship donors is an elite group of farsighted and generous friends who have made enduring contributions to the university’s excellence and independence. Donors may establish professorships in their own names or in the names of others whom they wish to honor, and the professorships will exist in perpetuity. Income from the endowed gifts pays the faculty members’ salaries and associated costs.
Endowed faculty awards honor, encourage, and support Stanford Engineering's most important assets: the teachers and researchers whose brilliant minds and commitment to technological innovation are at the center of our mission.
A chaired professorship is the most significant honor the university can offer to faculty. Holders of endowed chairs represent the most distinguished scholars of their generation. Those selected for a chair combine brilliant scholarship, inspirational teaching, and leadership service to the school and university. A gift of $3 million will be matched with $1 million by the school, resulting in a $4 million endowment that will support new chairs in selected priority departments.
