2 honored with named professorships

Two Cornell College professors have been named to endowed professorships.

Dean Joe Dieker announced that economics and business Professor Todd Knoop was named the David Joyce Professor of economics and business, and history Professor Phil Lucas was named the Edgar Truman Brackett Jr. professor of history.

The positions are funded by donations, and honor the work of some of Cornell’s outstanding members of the faculty. Some endowed professorships have gone unfilled after the faculty members who held them retired.

The David Joyce Professor of economics and business was established in 1903. The professorship was held by a number of professors over the years, most recently by Robert L. Bunting. The Edgar Truman Brackett, Jr. Professor of history was established in 1902. The professorship was held most recently by C. William Heywood.

Dieker explained that he asked politics Professor Craig Allin and one of his students to research the available endowed professorships, and that in consultation with the Committee on Administration, he began a process to make these appointments. “A group of four full professors—Cindy Strong, Bill Dragon, Tony Plaut, and Joseph Molleur—worked with me to make recommendations to President Brand who concurred with our recommendations,” Dieker said.

“These appointments honor the work that Todd and Phil have done at Cornell College, and the impact their teaching has had on students,” he said.

Knoop and Lucas will be joining Professor Cindy Strong, holder of the William Deskin Endowed Chair in chemistry, and Professor Jeff Cardon, holder of the Sherman and Vera Shaffer Endowed Chair in chemistry.

Dieker said he anticipates more appointments to existing endowed professorships will be made each year over the next several years.