Fraternity Looks To Lure Faculty With New Grant

The past and current members of the Beta Chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity are establishing a professorship endowment to continue to attract and retain the best possible professors at UNC.

The endowment is the first at UNC and one of the first in the nation sponsored by a Greek organization.

This professorship will consist of $660,000 in private funds, $100,000 of which was donated by Delta Kappa Epsilon alumnus Tee Baur and $340,000 from the state's Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund.

Del Johnson, director of communications for the Arts and Sciences Foundation, said the total $1 million endowment would be invested to bring a return of roughly 5 percent, providing $50,000 a year to add to the selected professor's salary.

Johnson said University officials would determine whether the professorship should be given to a current UNC professor or used to recruit new professors.

Once that decision is made, recommendations will make their way through a trail of committees, culminating with the chancellor and UNC Board of Trustees approving the professor.

The same professor will receive the professorship every year until he or she retires or moves to another college.

At that time, a new professor will be selected to receive the professorship endowment.

The professorship, which was Baur's brain child, is aimed at improving relations between the University and the Greeks.

"I could see the struggle of the administration as they looked at Greek life," Baur said.

"I often feel that Greek life is overlooked by people. I think that there is a lack of appreciation by Greeks as to what the administration does. I felt there needed to be a way to bridge the gap between the two groups."

Johnson said such professorships supplement a faculty member's state-supported salary.

"Professorships are needed here at Carolina to attract or retain the top professors," she said.

"Often the best ones are recruited by other universities."

UNC Greek officials say they are pleased with Delta Kappa Epsilon's efforts to improve the intellectual atmosphere on campus.

"I think that this is a real testimony to the Greek community for their support of the academic life on our campus," said Aaron Nelson, interim director of Greek affairs.

Hopkins said that most of the $660,000 would come from Delta Kappa Epsilon alumni's personal donations.

"We came up with a brochure that we will be sending to all the living DKEs that details all about this program and what is involved," Hopkins said.

Alumni involved with fund raising for Delta Kappa Epsilon said the professorship endowment was spawned by enthusiasm that was developed during a recent effort to raise money for renovations of the Delta Kappa Epsilon house. The renovations were completed last year.

"The alumni are rejuvenated and excited," said Rick Hopkins, president of Beta Delta Kappa Epsilon Inc.

"We've raised about $2.3 million for the renovation for the frat house. We did that in a little over a year and a half. We had great momentum with that, and we wanted to keep running with it."

Baur said he wished to involve the current members of the fraternity by having an annual dinner with them and the professor who receives the professorship.

"From the fund-raising standpoint, we aren't pushing (the current fraternity members) that much because they have been involved in the renovations of the house," Baur said.

Delta Kappa Epsilon officials also said they have hopes of the endowment program expanding and being picked up by other fraternities and sororities.

"The whole idea, as Del Johnson and I have talked about, is to create a template for other Greeks to do the same thing," Baur said.

"We want to see others embrace this concept too."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.