Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--At a Friday [Sept. 12] morning campus ceremony, Mississippi State Interim President Vance Watson announced that PACCAR is creating a new academic chair in the university's James Worth Bagley College of Engineering.
"We are extremely grateful to accept this $2 million donation from PACCAR that supports excellence in engineering at MSU and spurs economic growth in the state," Watson said, adding the person who holds the endowed professorship also will head the mechanical engineering department.
PACCAR is a global leader in the design and manufacture of light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. It is building a 400,000-square-foot plant in Lowndes County to produce fuel-efficient medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines. The $400 million, high-technology facility is scheduled to open in late 2009.
"The Bagley College is very appreciative of PACCAR's support of the engineering faculty and students," said Dean Sarah Rajala. "The endowed chair will help the department retain faculty members, as well as recruit top scholars in the future and assist others already enrolled."
Endowed positions are among the most significant awards given to tenured faculty members. The invested funds provide salary, benefits and research support, along with a long-term commitment that enables cutting-edge educational development and research projects.
In his remarks, PACCAR plant manager Lex Lemmers praised the 130-year-old land-grant institution and its engineering college, one of the two oldest academic programs on campus.
"PACCAR values the strength of Mississippi State's engineering programs and looks forward to further partnering with the university and its engineering college," Lemmers said. "PACCAR is committed to being a community leader in supporting education."
In addition to the PACCAR Chair in Mechanical Engineering, the gift creates the PACCAR Student Projects Endowment to provide assistance for student projects in the college's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.
The Bagley College is ranked among the top 15 percent in engineering research expenditures--above most Southeastern Conference universities--and is included nationally among the top 25 engineering colleges in graduating African-American engineers.
The mechanical engineering department focuses on energy and mechanical systems. Graduate studies are available in all major areas of the career field.
PACCAR's contribution brings to nearly $440 million the total amount raised through the university's ongoing capital campaign. The largest fundraising effort in the land-grant institution's 130-year history, "State of the Future" topped its $400 million minimum goal in 2007 and ends officially in December.
Additional information about PACCAR is available at www.paccar.com. Its stock is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol PCAR.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact John Rush, MSU vice president for development and alumni, at 662-325-9306.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.