Dr. William M. McCormack

A $2 million legacy commitment from Dr. William M. McCormack will fund one of the most important priorities of Western Kentucky University’s "Investing in the Spirit" Campaign. The commitment, made in June 2003, officially moved the Campaign above the $100 million mark.

According to Tom Hiles, WKU's vice president for Institutional Advancement, Dr. McCormack, a 1957
alumnus, and his wife, Ann, have made a commitment to establish two endowed professorships in the Ogden College of Science and Engineering.

The new professsorships will support WKU's physics and biotechnology programs. "This gift solidifies one of the Campaign's most important goals of creating new endowed professorships to support a variety of academic disciplines," Hiles said. "The McCormacks are focused on promoting academic excellence, and this gift will strongly promote quality for generations to come. We are extremely grateful."

Dr. McCormack said he is pleased to provide this support for Western."I feel that education is the
single most important aspect of your life in terms of maturity and growth," he said. "The more we contribute to allowing young people to go to school and learn, the better our state and country can progress and face the problems of today."

Dr. McCormack's family has had a close association with Western for many years, including an uncle who served on WKU’s Board of Regents and is the namesake of McCormack Hall, one of Western’s residence halls.