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UW Receives $750,000 for Wold Chair

 
black and white photo of two men talking with a woman in the background
John Wold, center, and his wife, Jane, started the University of Wyoming’s first endowed academic chair, the Wold Centennial Chair in Energy, in 1990. (Wold Foundation Photo)

The John and Jane Wold Centennial Chair in Energy is being generously repositioned by the Wold Foundation to become a $3 million University of Wyoming endowed position.

The Wold Foundation is adding $375,000, which will be doubled by state matching funds, to significantly elevate the impact of the Wold Chair on energy research and teaching at UW. 

The $375,000 gift from the Wold Foundation will amplify the prominence of the Wold Chair -- the university’s first fully endowed academic chair, which was funded by John and Jane Wold in 1990. The mission of this premier chair is to provide leadership in computational, mathematical, geological and geophysical aspects of energy research.

“Our parents, John and Jane Wold, started the University of Wyoming’s first endowed academic chair, the Wold Centennial Chair in Energy, in 1990,” says Peter Wold, of the Wold Foundation. “My brother, Jack Wold, and sister, Priscilla Longfield, and I are very excited for the Wold Foundation to partner with the University of Wyoming. Our dad was a leader in entrepreneurship, academia and industry. Our parents shared a love for Wyoming, its great energy resources and the university.”

The Wold Foundation promotes charitable, scientific and educational programs, with preference given to Wyoming citizens and Wyoming youth.

“John and Jane Wold were latter-day pioneers in Wyoming,” says outgoing UW School of Energy Resources (SER) Executive Director Mark Northam. “UW has been proud to have pioneers in the field of petroleum engineering hold this chair.”

“The School of Energy Resources looks forward to awarding this reinvigorated chair to a leader in petroleum technology focused on areas that will yield long-term benefits for the state,” says incoming SER Executive Director Holly Krutka. “We are grateful to the Wold family for their continued support and partnership with Wyoming’s university.”

The Wold Chair has brought recognized academic leaders in the field of energy to UW. It was first held by Richard Ewing, a professor in mathematics, chemical engineering and petroleum engineering, who was an internationally recognized authority in oil reservoir mathematics and large-scale computing, as well as the founder and co-director of the Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute. 

The most recent Wold Chair was held by Norman Morrow, a professor in chemical and petroleum engineering. His work in developing low-salinity flooding to unlock the secrets of oil and gas reservoirs and subsurface processes has been applied throughout the world. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and also received the Society of Petroleum Engineering’s Improved Oil Recovery Pioneer Award.

In addition to being talented educators, candidates for the Wold Chair are expected to have achieved the highest level of scholarship; to demonstrate mentorship and leadership skills; and to have an outstanding international reputation among their peers. The position will involve statewide engagement and service.

 

 

Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


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