John A. White

John A. White, Jr.

John White teaches a review of engineering economics for students at the University of Arkansas
4th Chancellor of the
University of Arkansas
In office
1997–2008
Preceded by Daniel E. Ferritor
Succeeded by G. David Gearhart
Personal details
Born 1940
Spouse(s) Mary Elizabeth Quarles White
Children daughter, son, three granddaughters, one grandson
Residence Rogers, Arkansas
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Alma mater University of Arkansas
Virginia Tech
The Ohio State University
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Kulak (honorary)
George Washington University (honorary)
Profession Distinguished professor of industrial engineering and chancellor emeritus, University of Arkansas

John Austin White, Jr, Ph.D., P.E. (born 1940) was the fourth chancellor of the University of Arkansas. He succeeded Daniel Ferritor in 1997 after previously serving as the dean of Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Engineering. As chancellor, Dr. White transformed the University of Arkansas; including the $1 billion "Campaign for the 21st Century" capital campaign, which created the University of Arkansas Honors College, endowed the University of Arkansas Graduate School and UA Libraries, added 132 tenured faculty, 1738 scholarships and fellowships, funded millions of dollars of brick and mortar improvements, and grew the university by almost every academic statistic.[1] Since his departure from the chancellor's office in 2008, White has remained at the university, teaching in the industrial engineering department.

University of Arkansas

"In the future, I believe historians will identify this day as a defining moment, an inflection point, a turning point, for the University of Arkansas. Today, we send a message, loud and clear, to the nation’s best universities: move over! The University of Arkansas is joining your ranks; it will stand equally, shoulder to shoulder, with the best universities this nation has to offer!"

—John White, announcing the Campaign for the 21st Century on October 26, 2001[2]

White left his job as dean of Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Engineering in order to become chancellor at his alma mater, the University of Arkansas in 1997. Promising to be an agent of change, White worked to shift the focus of the institution onto academics, including research and knowledge-based careers the state would need to compete in the global economy. Under his leadership, the university embarked on the "Campaign for the 21st Century", an ambitious capital campaign initially set for a goal of $500 million, despite having a total endowment of only $119 million in 1997.[2][3]

The Campaign for the Twenty-First Century allowed for the creation of the University of Arkansas Honors College, while endowing University Libraries and the University of Arkansas Graduate School. In the classroom, 132 faculty positions were endowed and 1,738 scholarships and fellowships were added. New donors accounted for a significant portion of the Campaign, with 41,600 of 72,641 total donors giving to UA academics for their first time. Benefactors made 304,328 individual gifts and pledges by the campaign's end in 2005.[1] The largest gift was $300 million, pledged by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, the largest gift in the history of public education philanthropy at the time.[4]

Honors

John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall on the University of Arkansas campus

In 2012, Engineering Hall was renamed "John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall" in honor of White.[5] The collegiate gothic structure was originally completed in 1925 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the University of Arkansas Campus Historic District.[6]

Personal

A native of Harrison, Arkansas, White is married to the former Mary Lib Quarles, whom he married in 1963. They have two children and four grandchildren.

Education

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Strickland, Danielle (October 26, 2011). "Ten Years Since Public Launch of $1 Billion Effort". University of Arkansas. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "University of Arkansas Kicks Off Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, Announces Unprecedented $500 Million Goal". University of Arkansas. October 26, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  3. ↑ "1997- 2008 John A. White". University of Arkansas. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  4. ↑ Cottingham, Jan (July 2, 2012). "Wealth Created by Wal-Mart Supports Massive Philanthropic Efforts in Arkansas". Arkansas Business. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Engineering Hall renamed John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall". University of Arkansas, College of Engineering, Industrial Engineering Department. March 30, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  6. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.

INFORMS: Biography of John A. White from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences

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