Former OSU Wrestler Endows Animal Science Professorship Through Estate Gift
George Chiga $250,000 gift to support beef cattle production, genetics

Oklahoma State University received a $250,000 gift through the charitable remainder trust of Tulsa alumnus George Chiga to establish a professorship focused on beef cattle production and beef cattle genetics.  Once fully matched dollar-for-dollar by T. Boone Pickens’ $100 million chair match commitment, as well as the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the gift will provide $1 million of impact in endowed funds.

A native of Whitehood, Canada, Chiga arrived at OSU with 25 cents in his pocket in the late 1930s.  He was recruited to OSU during the 1936 Berlin Olympic games after famed wrestling coach Ed Gallagher watched him compete.  Chiga received his animal science bachelor’s and master’s degrees from OSU in 1940 and 1942 respectively.

“George Chiga was a wonderful ambassador and supporter of OSU and we sincerely appreciate everything he and his family have done for the university,” said OSU President Burns Hargis.  “This professorship will enhance OSU’s beef cattle contributions to our state and our world.”

The George Chiga Animal Science Endowed Professorship will be housed in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The professorship will encourage excellence in teaching and scholarship within the animal science department, and seeks to address the needs of the Oklahoma agriculture industry by preparing students for study in the area of cattle genetics. 

Chiga’s daughter, Jan Reece, described her father’s devotion to the university and the agriculture industry.  “(He) just absolutely loved Oklahoma State University and wanted to see the agricultural college flourish.  He and my mother were the founding members of the Red Angus Association of America and were heavily involved in animal breeding.  He would be thrilled to learn about the impact of this gift,” she said.

The gift was also matched from the Pickens’ historic $100 million academic donation on May 21.  Pickens’ gift will more than double the number of current faculty chair and professorship positions at the university and he generously agreed that his donation can be used to match other donor gifts to faculty chairs and professorships in the area of the donor’s choice, and in the name of their choice.  With the state match on both gifts, OSU donors can see their gift to fund a faculty chair quadruple.

Jean Van Delinder, chair of the OSU Faculty Council, said, “OSU is poised for growth and further prominence but to realize its full potential we must continue to attract and retain top scholars and researchers. These chairs highlight the important role that scholarship and teaching play at Oklahoma State University, and they are made possible through the generous support of donors who value excellence in scholarship and want to help OSU continue to nurture a strong faculty.”

Endowed professorship and chairs are academic designations which provide support for faculty salary, graduate assistantships, equipment and research needs, as well as other support.  These endowed faculty positions allow a university to attract and retain the best and the brightest academic minds in the world.

Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, Oklahoma State University is a five-campus, public land-grant educational system that improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach.  OSU has more than 32,000 students across its system and nearly 21,000 on its Stillwater campus; with students from all 50 states and around 110 nations.  Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 200,000 students who have made a lasting impact on Oklahoma and the world.  

The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence.

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