Former Educator Donates $1 million to Create Four OSU Faculty
Positions Benefiting Future Professionals
Jacques professorships to benefit variety of educational areas

Oklahoma State University received a $1 million gift from Texas alumna Susan Jacques to establish four professorships within the College of Education benefiting special education, reading and literacy education, health promotion and counseling.  Once fully matched dollar-for-dollar by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as well as T. Boone Pickens’ $100 million chair match commitment, the gift will provide $4 million in endowed funds.

A former science teacher, Jacques made the gift hoping it would inspire teachers and future teachers while lessening the burden of university-related expenses. 

The faculty positions are the AJ and Susan Jacques professorship in special education, a tribute to Susan’s first teaching position as a substitute and an area of critical need; Jennifer Jacques Flanery professorship in community counseling, named after Susan’s daughter who knows a child benefiting from the program; Elizabeth Jacques professorship in reading and literacy education, named after her eldest daughter who wants to emphasize reading with her two children; and Joan Donelson Jacques professorship in health promotion, named after Susan’s mother-in-law who was an OSU alumna and passionate health promotion advocate.

“This is a wonderful gift that will leave an incredible legacy for Susan Jacques and her family,” said OSU President Burns Hargis.  “We appreciate her stepping forward at this time to make a truly significant impact on the OSU College of Education and on future teachers.”

With the announcement the state is changing the endowed faculty chair matching program on July 1, Jacques chose to take full advantage of the current dollar-for-dollar state match to add significant faculty support to OSU through her donation.  

The gift was given largely as a result of a compelling letter Jacques received from one of her scholarship recipients who is pursuing a doctoral degree in health education and promotion within the College of Education. 

“I was motivated after I received a touching letter from my scholarship recipient,” said Jacques.  “The scholarship meant so much to her and that touched me, because I remember having to buy my own paper and working my tail off behind the scenes to see my students achieve their full potential.  I realized then that I needed to do more.”

The gift was also prompted by 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 professorships 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.  

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