KNOXVILLE — Russell Lamb, a 1987 UT alumnus, has gifted $25,000 to the Department of Economics in the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to establish the Economics Excellence Endowment.
The endowment will benefit multiple areas including technology, scholarships, assistantships and faculty support. Once established, the fund will remain open to future gifts from those wishing to support the Department of Economics.
“Russell Lamb has provided leadership for the Department of Economics by serving as the first chairperson of the department’s advisory council,” said Robert Bohm, head of the Department of Economics. “Under his leadership, the council has continuously assisted faculty and students as we have jointly built a better department. With the establishment of the Economics Excellence Endowment, Lamb provides a different type of leadership, namely helping to fund the programs he has helped develop. As always, he is leading by example in the hope that others will follow.”
“I believe my education and training in economics has been critical to whatever success I have achieved,” said Lamb. “I also think that a great economics department is essential to a great university, and the University of Tennessee cannot be great without the core competencies in fields like economics. I owe a great debt to the university, because without it, I would not have achieved what I have today.”
Lamb’s gift is part of the Campaign for Tennessee, UT’s $1 billion fundraising effort. The most ambitious effort in the university’s history, the campaign places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support.
The campaign secures private gifts through contributions, pledges and planned giving to advance the university’s strategic goals that include improving student access and success, research and economic development, outreach and globalization. More than 98 percent of all gifts are designated for a specific purpose or program, such as scholarships or endowed professorships, and help provide the vital resources to advance key initiatives.
For more information about the College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.
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C O N T A C T :
Meredith Hulette (865-974-7392, mhulette@utk.edu)