FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University has received a $100,000 gift from Mark and Susan McKenzie to establish the McKenzie Family Endowed Professorship. Endowed professorships are crucial for Tarleton’s efforts to recruit and retain high-quality faculty as well as providing tools for increasing research productivity and student support.
Donors Mark and Susie McKenzie, owners of Focused Post Acute Care Partners in Fort Worth, are both Tarleton graduates.
“My success was a direct result of the environment at Tarleton,” Mark said. “We just hope that whatever assistance we can provide enables both the professor and Tarleton students.”
Dr. Hoe-Gil Lee, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Tarleton State University, has been named the first McKenzie Family Endowed Professor. Lee, the holder of two Korean patents, has been at Tarleton since 2017. He earned his PhD in mechanical engineering in 2015 from the University of Miami.
“Endowments like the McKenzie Endowed Professorship are of great benefit to the success of our faculty,” said Tarleton Provost, Dr. Karen Murray. “Our junior faculty have the ability to apply for this professorship at the midpoint of their path toward tenure. This gift will enhance the ability to make significant scholarly contributions.”
Dr. Lee’s project aims to design hydrogen and fuel production processes that lead to high-efficiency bioenergy production and utilization of the biofuels using small-scale electric and power generation applications.
The project consists of five modules, beginning with the raw biomass resources and applying fuel production processes, leading to the produced fuels. He participated in a 2005 project to minimize auto emissions and a 2008 project to improve fuel mileage and utilize environmentally friendly materials for South Korea-produced cars.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle
817-484-4415
[email protected]
