Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Major new support from the Robert M. Hearin Foundation is enhancing nationally recognized programs at Mississippi State University.
The Jackson philanthropy recently committed more than $4.4 million over three years. Of that amount, more than $3.8 million will go to the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering and $600,000 to the College of Architecture, Art and Design.
Previous Hearin support during 1997-2004 allowed the colleges to focus on key undergraduate and graduate enhancements and research areas fueled by industry needs.
"The generous support from the Hearin Foundation is what gives the Bagley College the funds needed to continue our quest for increased national recognition and visibility," said Dean Kirk H. Schulz. The engineering college will apply the latest grant to several key areas, he added.
"These monies help support economic development, assist in partial funding for the Center for Engineering Student Excellence, provide much needed seed money for cutting-edge research infrastructure, and fund the Hearin Eminent Scholars program to assist us in recognizing faculty excellence," said Schulz.
Engineering research funding at MSU now is ranked in the top 10 percent among U.S. programs.
The $600,000 grant earmarked for the College of Architecture, Art and Design will be used to enhance housing research in the Carl Small Town Center and the Design Research Informatics Laboratory. The money also will aid the college's graduate program, which has broadened in keeping with its expansion to include art, interior design and technology.
Dean James L. West said the Hearin Foundation's support for the college "has played a significant role in the development of research related to outreach and engagement in the architecture graduate programs.
"This new funding will continue to be used to advance this research and the implementation of technology in a number of industries within the State of Mississippi," he added.
West said the Carl Small Town Center--named for Fred Carl Jr., the Greenwood businessman and Viking Range Corp. founder--will apply its allocation toward community design and economic development work, "with a heightened focus on the housing needs of our state."
The college has worked for several years to develop alternative designs and production methodologies for affordable housing, which West said now is at the point of prototype development and testing. "This very specialized area of research has the potential for significant economic impact in the state by providing affordable, sustainable, energy efficient, and fully code-compliant housing models," he observed.
"We cannot overstate the important role that Hearin Foundation support has and will continue to play in the College of Architecture, Art and Design's success in outreach and engagement," West added.
Established in 1973, the college offers Mississippi's only professional program in architecture.
The Hearin Foundation was established in the will of Robert M. Hearin Sr., the Mississippi Valley Gas Co. chairman and chief executive officer who died in 1992. The organization primarily supports the state's universities and colleges and economic development.
For more information, contact Amy Cagle of the MSU Foundation at (662) 325-1006 or acagle@foundation.msstate.edu.