Supporting faculty
Alumni gift to support faculty recruitment, retention in chemical engineering
2:37 p.m., Jan. 11, 2016--William Severns Jr. learned from the giants of chemical engineering.
As a University of Delaware doctoral student researching vapor-liquid equilibrium in the late 1940s, he studied under Allan Colburn, Robert Pigford, Jack Gerster and other “outstanding engineers, brilliant minds.”
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Many of these professors helped build UD’s venerated Department of Chemical Engineering. During his tenure, Colburn brought in even more faculty to serve as adjunct and visiting professors, widely regarded as leaders in more specialized fields, to teach specific courses at the graduate level.
“Right here in Delaware, I was exposed to top faculty from all over,” Severns says. “I admired that.”
To continue this tradition of faculty excellence, he and his wife recently committed $4 million to establish the William Severns Jr. Distinguished Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. An endowed chair is the highest academic award a university can bestow on a faculty member, and the Severns’ gift will provide research support for a faculty member in the department.
“Recruiting the best faculty is critical to our success,” says department chair Bramie Lenhoff. “And retaining the outstanding faculty we have is equally important.”
The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, which is consistently listed in the top 10 in U.S. News and World Report rankings, prides itself on both its outstanding research programs and its strong commitment to undergraduate education.
“Great faculty are the core of a university,” says Acting President Nancy Targett. “The Severns’ gift is an inspiring testament to the quality and caliber of our chemical and biomolecular engineering program, and their philanthropy will further strengthen an already excellent department.”
Severns and his wife Jacqueline have been long-time benefactors to the University, creating and sustaining the William H. and Jacqueline Severns Scholarship, which, since 1992, has supported more than 150 UD students enrolled through the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies. They also have made a gift in memory of Severns’ son, UD alumnus Matthew Severns, to support construction of the Patrick T. Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory.
Severns received his doctorate from the University in 1950 and spent many years in industry, beginning in the pigments department of DuPont, where he worked on titanium dioxide white pigments, before moving on to the manufacturing of titanium metal, a strong, lightweight element that has been referred to as “the luxury metal of the future.”
He credits the University and its faculty for his success in engineering.
“The ultimate strength of any program is its faculty,” says Lenhoff. “A gift as generous and meaningful as this allows us to build on our great foundation to ensure we remain at the forefront of excellence.”