WKU News & Events

September 04, 2002

McGruder Named McCormack
Professor At WKU

Bowling Green, Ky. - Dr. Charles H. McGruder has been named the first William McCormack Professor in Physics at Western Kentucky University.

Dr. McGruder, who joined Western in 1993 as a professor and head of the Physics and Astronomy Department, said the appointment is a "gratifying honor. It gives me ample time to do the research that I would like to do at Western."

In addition to concentrating on research, Dr. McGruder will continue working on the proposed Kentucky Academy of Mathematics and Science. The academy would bring the brightest high school juniors and seniors to campus to finish their high school work while earning 60 college credit hours.

The McCormack Professorship was created in 2000 through a $500,000 gift from Dr. William M. McCormack, a 1957 WKU graduate and retired radiologist. That gift was matched through Kentucky's Regional University Excellence Trust Fund to create the $1 million endowment.

Dr. McCormack's family has had a close association with Western, including an uncle who served on the Board of Regents and is the namesake of McCormack Hall, one of the University's residence halls. Dr. McCormack said he wanted to "pay back a little" of what he has received from his association with Western. The Bowling Green native retired from his radiology practice in Owensboro, Ky., and Illinois.

WKU President Gary Ransdell said professorship endowments allow the University to retain and attract quality faculty to enhance already strong academic programs.

"The foundation for a quality academic experience for students is directly related to the presence of nationally competitive faculty in the classroom," he said. "When teachers are providing outstanding instruction and meaningful applied research, the students will find ultimate educational and professional success. The McCormack Professor will provide exceptional leadership and training to future national and world leaders in the sciences. Like Dr. McCormack, many scientific leaders attribute their ultimate success to quality undergraduate teaching."

Dr. McGruder has a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology and a doctorate from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Prior to coming to Western, Dr. McGruder spent time at Vanderbilt University, Fisk University and the University of Nigeria. He was also a visiting professor at Western during the 1989-90 school year.

As past president of the National Society of Black Physicists, he has focused on increasing the number of minorities studying the sciences and making science a more enticing topic for students.

In accepting the appointment, Dr. McGruder stepped down as department head. A search for his replacement has begun.

For more information, contact Charles McGruder at (270) 745-4357. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.