Friday, January 18, 2008

Caren Prothro and Perkins-Prothro Foundation give $3.6 million to SMU

By Pegasus News wire

Stating that the money will be used to strengthen the faculty and associated research activities in the Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University President R. Gerald Turner thanked Caren Prothro and the Perkins-Prothro Foundation for their combined $3.6 million gift.

In recognition of his long-time support of SMU, an endowed faculty chair in the biological sciences will be named in C. Vin Prothro's honor.

With $2 million to be devoted to the endowed chair and $1 million to an endowed research fund, it's expected that the Dept. of Biological Sciences should have no trouble attracting a superstar researcher in the field. As Caroline Brettell, interim dean of Dedman College puts it: "The Prothro Initiative will add to the stature of Dedman College and the University. A distinguished chairholder will energize our programs in biological sciences, bringing additional grant funding and increasing SMU's contributions to scientific knowledge. The Prothro Initiative also will strengthen SMU's connections with the larger scientific and medical community in the Dallas area."

I honestly don't know what more could be said on the subject.

But Paul W. Ludden, SMU provost and v.p. for academic affairs, apparently does, because he went on to say: "As new discoveries continue to advance the basic sciences, universities play an increasingly important role in leading-edge research and in the preparation of talented young scientists for careers in science and medicine. This gift will enable us to create a center of excellence in the biological sciences by recruiting a distinguished scientist to fill the new faculty chair and by providing funds to support the chairholder's research, as well as positions for graduate and undergraduate student assistants to work with the chairholder."

(ZZZzzz...)

OOPS! Sorry, I must have dozed off during that last speech. Here's another, this time from the donator herself, Caren Prothro, who has been a member of SMU's Board of Trustees since 1992: "Our family is investing in what we consider to be a potential center of excellence at SMU, taking an already outstanding department to the next level of scientific teaching and research. My husband understood the importance of educating the next generation of our nation’s scientists. We are pleased to honor Vin in this way."

And since Ms. Prothro paid the tab, we're giving her the last word.

posted by JM

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