Transformational gift
$3 million gift by Patricia and Charles Robertson, Jr. will fund named professorship in CEOE
8:38 a.m., May 29, 2015--Patricia Orris Robertson and Charles W. Robertson, Jr. have pledged $3 million to establish a distinguished named professorship in the School of Marine Science and Policy in the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.
It is the largest outright gift ever given to the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.
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Officially known as the Patricia and Charles Robertson Distinguished Professor of Marine Science and Policy, the endowed professorship is meant to reward exceptional faculty talent.
“Recruiting and retaining faculty talent is a high priority for the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. The Robertsons’ transformative gift will catalyze the teaching, research and professional development of a promising faculty member,” said CEOE Dean Nancy Targett.
“As the University of Delaware continues to build prominence, this meaningful gift will recognize the ongoing contributions of the faculty member selected. I am humbled by the Robertsons’ generosity and their steadfast commitment to strengthening the college.”
Patricia Robertson, who earned her master’s degree in marine biology at UD in 1972, is a founding member of and serves on the CEOE Dean’s Advisory Council. She was inducted into the University of Delaware Alumni Wall of Fame in 2011.
She and her husband Charles, a former DuPont scientist, have given generously to the college over the years, including supporting the college’s capital campaign initiatives, graduate assistantships, environmental technology and research aimed at the development of salt-tolerant crops.
“We feel that dynamic, young faculty are a valuable complement to more experienced faculty and give strength to an educational institution that's hard to beat. The kind of faculty we favor are those who can inspire outstanding students and attract into their field students who have otherwise unrecognized talents,” said Charles Robertson of the gift.
The Robertsons started NanoDrop Technologies Inc., a company that developed novel instruments that revolutionized spectrophotometric measurements of small-volume liquid samples. Patricia Robertson was a managing partner with responsibility for finances and human resources until the company was sold in 2007.
The college will soon select a faculty member to be named the Patricia and Charles Robertson Distinguished Professor of Marine Science and Policy.
“The intent is that the professorship will begin as a junior professorship to assure talent retention in CEOE,” explained Targett. "In keeping with University standards, after five years the selected junior professor will undergo a formal review process, in order to determine the next appointment."
About the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment
UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE) strives to reach a deeper understanding of the planet and improve stewardship of environmental resources.
CEOE faculty and students examine complex information from multiple disciplines with the knowledge that science and society are firmly linked and solutions to environmental challenges can be synonymous with positive economic impact.
The college comprises the School of Marine Science and Policy, Department of Geography and Department of Geological Sciences.
CEOE brings the latest advances in technology to bear on both teaching and conducting ocean, earth and atmospheric research. Current focus areas are ecosystem health and society, environmental observing and forecasting, and renewable energy and sustainability.
Article by Karen B. Roberts
Photo by Evan Krape