Waukomis Rancher, Neurosurgeon Establishes $250,000 Professorship at
OSU to Benefit Agriculture, Business
Pollard faculty position to strengthen Oklahoma agriculture
Oklahoma State University received a $250,000 gift from Waukomis alumnus Barry Pollard, M.D. to establish a professorship focused on agribusiness. 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 $1 million in endowed funds.
An Enid, Okla. native, Pollard is a successful neurosurgeon, rancher, John Deere dealer, devoted Cowboy fan and active philanthropist who saw the benefits of combining agriculture and business into one academic focus as a result of his involvement with his farm equipment company, P & K John Deere Equipment. Pollard serves as a trustee of the OSU Foundation and founded the current OSU Medical Cowboys scholarship program. |
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Barry Pollard |
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“In addition to his passion for medicine, Barry Pollard has a passion for agriculture, business and OSU and we applaud him for supporting all three with this generous and timely gift,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “His donation and matching dollars from Boone Pickens and the state will support an important faculty position.”
With the announcement the state is changing the endowed faculty chair matching program on July 1, Pollard chose to take full advantage of the current dollar-for-dollar state match to add significant faculty support to OSU through his donation. The Barry Pollard, M.D./P&K Equipment Inc. professorship in agribusiness will be housed in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
Pollard came up with the endowed position after hiring many employees who had grown up in the agriculture industry but came to work for him with business degrees. He felt individuals with training in both disciplines would be better prepared to benefit Oklahoma’s agriculture industry.
“I was able to find a way to emphasize agriculture blended with the necessary business course requirements that will give students the training and experience needed to be successful in the agricultural world,” said Pollard. “This is a unique opportunity to give a dollar and get four dollars back, so it seemed like a good time to get it done.”
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 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. For more information access the Foundation’s Web site at OSUgiving.com.
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