Two gift campaigns totaling $2.5 million will enable the department of geosciences at the University of Arkansas Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences in Fayetteville to create more field-based learning opportunities for future students.
The two endowment campaigns — the Dr. T.A. “Mac” McGilvery, Karen R. McGilvery and Maurice F. Storm Field Experience Endowed Chair and the Endowment for Field Experiences — will allow the department to further its efforts to attract top-tier faculty and students while providing valuable real-world, hands-on learning opportunities.
The McGilverys and Storm have already provided a lead commitment of $1.2 million of the total $1.5 million campaign goal to create the namesake endowment.
Mac and Karen McGilvery on the University of Arkansas Campus. Photo by Michael Stoker.
“The education we received and friendships we made while at the University of Arkansas have had a profound impact on our lives,” Mac said. “Karen and I are thrilled to make this significant contribution to the department of geosciences to ensure that field experiences remain a key part of our curriculum for generations to come.”
Endowed chairs are among the highest honors a university can bestow on faculty. By creating a new chair, the trio of alumni expect it to help attract the most distinguished scholars to teach, research, mentor and lead in the department of geosciences.
Chancellor Charles Robinson thanked the McGilverys and Storm for their support, which he said will be transformational “not only for the department but for the students who will now have even more chances to participate in these formative experiences.”
“Investments like this are what will keep our university and our state at the forefront of research and innovation in the field of geosciences,” he said.
Field experiences have been at the core of the geosciences curriculum for more than a century. The faculty member named to the new McGilvery-Storm Field Experience Endowed Chair will not only serve as a leader in the department but a leader in field experiences by facilitating the immersive learning experiences outside the classroom. The endowment also seeks to attract exceptional students through its commitment to hands-on learning.
“Field experiences were transformational events in my education,” Mac said. “For many of us, it was professors Walt Manger and Doy Zachry running field camp, spring break field trips or weekend trips. The learnings, the shared experiences and challenges are what bond us to the department.”
Mac and Karen met as students at the U of A while working at the University of Arkansas Museum. Mac became an adjunct professor of geosciences at the U of A after a 35-year career in geology that took him around the world. Karen, a graduate of the department of anthropology, worked in museums throughout her career and now serves on the U of A Museum Advisory Board and volunteers at the museum and the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm.
Maurice F. Storm. Photo provided.
Storm completed his bachelor’s degree in geology from the U of A. He has previously supported the department of geosciences with the gift of an endowed chair, the Maurice F. Storm Endowed Chair in Energy.
“The geological sciences heavily rely on in-person observation, analysis and critical thinking,” Storm said. “The geologic sciences in particular require more time out of the classroom and out in the field than almost any other discipline.”
Brian E. Raines, dean at Fulbright College, expressed gratitude for the trio’s commitment.
“As each has also demonstrated, hands-on learning outside of the classroom can be some of the most impactful in a student’s academic journey and is something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives,” he said. “Gifts such as this will create those pivotal moments for our graduates, and by structuring this campaign as an endowment, we will ensure that students will permanently have access to these experiences.”
The second campaign, the Endowment for Field Experiences, will directly fund the various field camps and trips coordinated through the first campaign’s McGilvery-Storm Field Experience Endowed Chair. The funds will cover travel logistics, supplies, equipment and scholarships to reduce financial barriers that can prevent students from pursuing a degree in the geosciences.
“The gifts also honor previous generations of geoscientists at the U of A and, going forward, set the stage for our international competitive edge,” said Jason A. Tullis, professor of geography and chair of the department of geosciences. “I can’t wait to see how these gifts impact the problem-solving abilities, career prospects and quality of life of our students.”
Feature image, top: The GeoLab, an outdoor rock installation, is found in the courtyard of Gearhart Hall on the University of Arkansas campus and has become an exemplar of hands-on educational opportunities available to U of A students. Photo by Austin Brown.
READ ALSO: Mueller Invests $7 Million for Wynne Expansion
