Lou Edwards Endowed Chair for Chemical Engineering
The University of Idaho College of Engineering is one of the leading engineering programs in the Northwest.
Part of that prestige lies in our excellent faculty, who attract highly-skilled students to our hands-on programs and research opportunities.
The Lou Edwards Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering will continue Lou’s tradition of excellence in leadership, teaching and research, and enable U of I to attract and retain top faculty members.
An endowed chair is a distinguished faculty position funded through an endowment.
We'll Match Your Gift
A group of generous donors is ready to challenge you:
Your cash or pledge gift of any size will be matched up to $200,000 total!
Why give to an endowed chair?
Your gift provides resources beyond what the university alone can offer, including:
- A stable and permanent revenue source for excellent faculty
- Building our college’s reputation as a top-tier research university
- Hiring and retention of top faculty members
- Funding for undergraduate and graduate research positions working alongside faculty
- Connection between our college and national industry leaders
Earlier efforts to establish the Lou Edwards Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering were led by Emeritus Professor William “Bill” Thompson led that effort, raising over $1.3M toward the $2M goal.
We are now in our final phase to fully fund the Lou Edward Endowed Chair and are working toward reaching our goal of raising the final $700,000.
About Lou Edwards 1936-2016
Lou Edwards, 1936-2016, received several awards for his contributions to teaching and research and was a talented faculty member who made a difference in the lives of many U of I students.
Originally from Montana, Lou earned a bachelor’s degree at Rensselaer Engineering and a master’s at the University of Delaware. He first came to Idaho in 1961, and was one of the Department’s first Ph.D. students, receiving his doctorate in 1966. He received the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry’s Pulp Manufacture Division Technical Award and Johan C.F. C. Richter Prize in 2014. During his career, he published more than 100 technical papers and served as a consultant to over 30 pulp and paper companies worldwide.
$2 Million
$1.3
M
“An endowed chair builds the reputation of our program. It indicates a certain distinction in teaching and provides opportunities to pursue research with a high potential for return. ” ERIC ASTON, Chair, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering