James "Bud" Layne

James "Bud" Layne of Glasgow pledged $500,000 to Western Kentucky University to create an endowed professorship in the Department of Engineering Technology. His gift was matched by the Regional University Excellence Trust Fund.

"Endowments are the way of ensuring that the University will continue in perpetuity, and the Kentucky General Assembly has wisely chosen to provide the public universities with incentives for creating endowments to support key faculty positions," said WKU President Gary Ransdell.

Layne, chief executive officer of Span Tech in Glasgow, said such partnerships are essential to the economic development of the region. "We have a long-term interest in developing a strong mechanical engineering technology program at Western," he said, adding that his firm has hired several WKU engineering graduates. "I believe in the school and I believe in the program."