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The Highest Honorby Sarah Satterwhite For half a millennia, endowed chairs have smoothed the way for educational excellence and research. As a matter of fact, the tradition is more than 500 years old. Still in existence today, the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity at Oxford University in England was the first such chair, established in 1502 to honor the mother of Henry VII, Margaret of Richmond. The concept reached America's oldest university, Harvard College, when the Hollis Professorship of Divinity was established in 1721. The tradition is alive and well at Baylor College of Medicine, where endowed chairs represent one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a faculty member. BCM's chairs demonstrate the institution's commitment to the work of its faculty while providing donors an opportunity to invest in programs of the greatest hope and potential. "Endowed chairs are key to the future of the College," said Dr. Peter Traber, president and CEO of BCM and holder of the John E. and Clara B. Whitmore Chair. "They are an important way to support specific programs and departments. Chairs also are vital to attracting and retaining a high level of leadership that strengthens our academic units." Research, educational, and patient-care pursuits long have benefited from the financial stability provided by endowed chairs at BCM. Being named to an endowed chair gives faculty the flexibility to pursue innovative teaching, clinical, and scientific activities for which other funding sources are not available. Income annually distributed from the endowment—currently 5 percent of assets—typically provides for the individual faculty member's needs, including salary support, research tools, and educational resources. Distributions that act as seed funding for innovative projects can be leveraged later to garner support from other sources, such as the National Institutes of Health, which only fund mature projects. An endowed chair is also considered a "living fund," a testament to the generosity of alumni, patients, and friends of BCM. Donors who establish a chair with a gift of $2 million have the privilege of naming it for themselves or in honor or memory of someone else. A gift of $4 million establishes a named Presidential Endowed Chair, intended for outstanding world leaders in their disciplines. Donors may designate a particular department in which the funded chair will reside, ensuring uninterrupted excellence in the College's pursuits. Numerous chairs at BCM have been endowed by individuals and foundations that have a long collaborative history with the College. Such extended history often indicates substantial investment from both the donor and the College in a department's efforts. The valued relationship between the benefactor and the College is detailed by the Office of Development in a custom-drafted endowed fund agreement that accommodates the donors' preferences and provides the framework for the management of the chair's endowment in perpetuity. Because it is important that donors know the difference that their gift is making in the life of the College, the Office of Development coordinates with the faculty member who holds the chair to provide annual reports regarding the use of the funds. The College's ability to provide clinical care, to conduct important research, and to enhance academic excellence is tied directly to its overall endowment assets, which currently stand above $1 billion. "By investing in an endowed chair, donors provide the tools for BCM to continue its leadership as the intellectual force of the Texas Medical Center," said Traber. Selected ChairholdersHerman Brown Teaching Professor of MedicineDr. Stephen B. Greenberg, senior vice president and dean of medical education, currently holds the Herman Brown Teaching Professor of Medicine. Established by a gift from the Brown Foundation, Inc. in 1970, the chair originated to support excellence in teaching in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Several years later, the Brown Foundation requested that this chair support an individual who is both a Medicine faculty member and Chief of Medical Service at Ben Taub General Hospital. In this way, the Brown Foundation's generous gift now supports all the facets of Greenberg's work. "This chair is the embodiment of the College's mission, enabling us to advance human health through the integration of patient care, research, education, and community service," Greenberg said. Henry and Emma Meyer Chair in Obstetrics and GynecologyDr. Amy Young looks forward to developing a relationship with the family that endowed the Henry and Emma Meyer Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology, to which she was appointed in fall 2006. Mrs. Meyer remembered the College in her will with a gift of land to fund the chair, with the intention that "the advancement of obstetrical training would be productive of better health and more happiness in mankind and a memorial constantly striving for the accomplishment would be, not only the fulfillment of my dream, but also that of my deceased husband." Said Young, who is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology. "This chair gives me the freedom to do what I love—teaching the next generation of OB-GYNs." March of Dimes Chair in Developmental BiologyThe March of Dimes Chair in Developmental Biology exists as a result of a unique partnership among institutions. The Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation established the chair in 2000 with a significant pledge that was contingent on BCM's funding a portion of the chair, which the Cullen Foundation Endowment fulfilled. This chair's uniqueness lies in the rarity of a large, national organization like March of Dimes giving such a significant gift to a single endowment at an institution. The two institutions have a close relationship; much of the College's work in developmental biology has been made possible through the generosity of March of Dimes. Dr. Hugo Bellen holds the March of Dimes Chair. "These funds support research in my laboratory as well as help recruit young scientists interested in developmental biology to Baylor College of Medicine," said Bellen, who is a professor of molecular and human genetics, as well as an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "Without this support we would not be able to foster as active a research environment here." |
Patient CarePutting the Pieces Together: Megan's Story When Baby Heart Patients Grow Up Saying Goodnight to Sleeping Pills ResearchFrom a Sister's Illness... A Cancer Crusade EducationCommunity ServiceAlumni & DevelopmentBRASS Connections Help Students Soar College NewsPhysician Hall of Fame: College Receives One-of-a-Kind Signature Collection
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Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 2007 |
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