INVESTING IN TODAY’S EDUCATORS by Allie Northcutt
Inspired by the legendary Wabash professors and liberal arts programs, Wabash benefactors were inspired to establish six new endowed professorships and faculty chairs and two academic majors during the historic Giant Steps Campaign.
E
arly in her academic journey, Laura Wysocki
thought an endowed chair would be something bestowed on a faculty member near the end of their career after they had “made a name for themselves” in their research. When the news came that she would be awarded an endowed professorship after serving 10 years at Wabash, the chemistry professor and department chair was filled with shock and gratitude. “It’s a real honor,” says Wysocki, who holds the Edwin J. Peck/David A. Phillips Professorship in Chemistry. “You see people who hold endowed chairs and you think of them as the experienced ones, the ones who are leaders. Being named an endowed chair mid-career has built confidence and helped me see myself as this integral part of the College and the community.” As part of his estate gift to Wabash, the Peck/Phillips Professorship was reestablished by David Phillips H’83, who served the College for 36 years as a professor in chemistry. He was appointed as Wabash’s first inorganic chemist in 1968 and taught until his retirement in 2004.
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Although Phillips had retired before Wysocki joined the staff in 2011, she says he was one of the first people she met the day she interviewed for the job. After that, he served as her mentor and the two became good friends. Before he died on March 4, 2021, Phillips praised Wysocki’s successful research and teaching career at Wabash. “Laura loves teaching these students, and you can see that it’s reciprocated,” said Phillips. “Her students love her and that’s unusual because organic chemists have a reputation for being frightening—and she is anything but.” “Just to know that I had his blessing as the inaugural chair is something that’s really important to me,” says Wysocki, “and it makes me proud that he saw in me a professor who he felt was worthy of this kind of honor.” Funds provided by the endowment have helped Wysocki purchase equipment for both her teaching and her research labs. As a result, her students gain experience with up-todate instruments while investigating questions related to organic chemistry and fluorescent dyes.
