The University of Tennessee College of Engineering has received the first installment of a $500,000 gift to establish a professorship in biomedical engineering.
Paul Lenahan, a director of the Fred M. Roddy Foundation, and Lee Kintzel, the foundation’s vice president, presented a check for $125,000 to UT-Knoxville Chancellor Loren Crabtree during the foundation’s annual scholarship luncheon, which was held recently. The gift will be repeated for the next three years.
“We are honored that the Fred M. Roddy Foundation has continued to generously support our college and our students,” said Dr. Way Kuo, dean of engineering.
“Biomedical engineering is an exciting and emerging field, and this professorship will allow us to enhance the educational opportunities for deserving students who wish to major in this discipline.”
Dr. Richard Komistek, a professor in UT’s mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering department, made a presentation to the foundation members about biomedical engineering and outlined what they could expect from funding a professorship in the field.
The foundation was created to honor Blount County native Roddy, a 1927 UT mechanical engineering graduate.
Approximately $194,000 in scholarship money was distributed by the foundation in 2004 to more than 100 students in many different fields of study. Scholarship amounts ranged from $1,000 for upperclassmen to $5,000 for merit scholars.
The overall grade point average of Roddy scholarship recipients this year was 3.7 on a four-point scale.
Students in the College of Arts and Sciences received 47 Roddy scholarships for academic year 2004-05. Business students won 22 scholarships, and 11 engineering students received foundation scholarship money.