Liliane and Christian Haub Fund Professorship in UW’s Haub School

A gift to the University of Wyoming from philanthropists Liliane and Christian Haub will establish the Liliane and Christian Haub Professorship in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, which will support the school’s work in environment and natural resources.

“We are thrilled to support this professorship to attract and retain talented educators and researchers in order to build the best possible faculty who will have a tremendous influence on generations of students to come,” Liliane Haub says.

The purpose of the Liliane and Christian Haub Professorship is to help early-career faculty maximize their impact on the Haub School through their research, teaching and outreach efforts. Additionally, it is designed to help them make progress toward tenure and promotion through the ranks of professor.

The professorship will be used to recruit and retain exceptional early-career faculty in the Haub School and will rotate every three years to a new high-performing faculty member.

“The generosity of Liliane and Christian will go toward faculty excellence through an endowed professorship,” UW President Ed Seidel says. “Endowed positions represent UW’s commitment to an academic discipline at the highest level.

“On behalf of the entire university, we are so grateful to Liliane for her steadfast leadership of the school and their advisory board over the past 15 years,” Seidel adds. “The Haub family has been extraordinarily generous with their support of the University of Wyoming, and we are forever grateful.”

The goal of the Haub School is to advance the understanding and resolution of complex environmental and natural resources challenges -- which today are more complex and challenging than ever.

This involves training the next generation of professionals to efficiently balance, effectively procure, sustainably use and wisely conserve the world’s natural resources through data-informed discussions, building coalitions and working toward consensus.

“Innovative and passionate faculty are so important to maximize the impact that the Haub School can have on our environment and natural resources across our wild and working lands,” says John Koprowski, dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Koprowski adds, “The continued support of Liliane and Christian Haub -- and their generosity in providing a gift that guarantees resources to empower our faculty in perpetuity -- exemplify the importance of committed partners and friends to achieve sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.

“Liliane has been a devoted and passionate supporter of the Haub School for well over a decade, all the while providing incredible counsel to past deans and directors and serving on the Haub School’s advisory board.”

None of these ambitious goals would be possible without professors who share their knowledge and skills both in the classroom and in the field. And it is early-career faculty who will take the program into the future and educate tomorrow’s students.

This endowment also emphasizes the importance of professorships in recruiting and retaining faculty. Professorships attract top talent, and the support of an endowment helps recruit the best and brightest to join the Haub School.

And, because the professorship will rotate every three years, it will help retain talented early-career faculty as they make progress toward securing tenure and promotion.

“This generous gift will provide a unique resource that supports the progress of young faculty toward the critical goal of obtaining tenure, which is a prerequisite for a long and productive career at UW,” says Kevin Carman, UW provost and executive vice president.

Christian and Liliane Haub’s gift will have a significant impact on the future of the Haub School. Indeed, UW’s educational program in environment and natural resources has been largely made possible by the Haub family’s sustained cross-generational efforts.

Liliane Haub has served on the Advisory Board for the Haub School for the past 15 years. During that time, she has been a steady source of support for the school. In addition to her duties on the board, she regularly advises and supports leadership, faculty and students while also providing incredible philanthropic support to countless endeavors. She is passionate about the environment, art and education and leads the family’s support of the environment.

In addition to Liliane’s role with the Haub School, she is director of American Prairie, as well as on the Board of Trustees of Pace University and its Elisabeth Haub School of Law. She managed the family bison ranch in Cora, Wyo., for almost a decade. Under her leadership, the livestock operation transitioned to environmentally sustainable methods. Together with the Haub School, she wrote a field guide highlighting the history, fauna and flora of the area.

Christian Haub is CEO of the Tengelmann Group, which is based in Germany. Founded in 1876, the company has been in the Haub family for generations -- Christian is fifth generation. He earned his MBA from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. He began his career in investment banking in New York and served as director of Metro Inc. in Montreal, of the Food Marketing Institute and of BrightFarms. He served as CEO and executive chairman of A&P, the U.S.’ oldest supermarket chain.

The Tengelmann Group began as a modest food retail business and grew to the international retail empire it is today, spanning Europe and North America. The company embraces sustainable business practices throughout its enterprise, and it invests in startups and real estate. The company incorporated these practices long before they became mainstream and won numerous awards and recognition for its leadership in this area.

The Haub family’s vision is for the Haub School “to further environmental education, create stronger awareness of the pressing issues related to the vast natural resources in Wyoming and support the development of guidelines to help decision-making in local and state governments.”

Ultimately, the goal of the Liliane and Christian Haub Professorship is to support the faculty of the Haub School in what’s most important -- making a difference.