Foundation Announces Faculty Award
In February, the Texas A&M Foundation recognized John Junkins, regents’ professor and distinguished professor of aerospace engineering, as its first Partner in Philanthropy Faculty Award recipient.
The new award recognizes a faculty member who provides dedicated and lasting participation, commitment and creative leadership to philanthropy benefiting Texas A&M. Because of his efforts to build long-term relationships between the university, former students and other private partners in philanthropy, Junkins was presented a $10,000 cash award to support his academic pursuits.
As founding director of the Texas A&M University Institute for Advanced Study (TIAS), Junkins has developed philanthropic partnerships with potential donors to the institute and demonstrated a deep understanding of the value of private support. In 2012, he and his wife Elouise also gave a $2 million planned gift to establish an aerospace engineering faculty chair and a $1 million planned gift to fund a TIAS chair.
Junkins also directs the Land, Air and Space Robotics Laboratory at the university. As holder of the Royce E. Wisenbaker Class of ’39 Chair in Innovation, he has witnessed firsthand how an endowed chair can impact research and students.
“As Elouise and I reflected on how fortunate we have been to work here three decades, we decided that it was high time for us to make decisions about our own estate,” said Junkins.
For the couple, faculty giving is a tangible means of investing in and showing commitment to education. “When faculty make gifts, it strikes a powerful cord and can motivate other donors to give, because it proves that our faculty are willing to help move the university to the next level,” said Junkins.