On Jan. 26, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Oklahoma State University announced the addition of a new endowed chair thanks to the Edward E. and Helen T. Bartlett Foundation.
The new chair is the fifth endowed faculty position at OSU committed by the foundation — the fourth within the College of Arts and Sciences. The Bartlett Foundation previously established the Harrison I. Bartlett Chair in Chemistry; the Edward E. Bartlett Professorship of Pedagogy in Chemistry; the Edward E. Bartlett Professorship of Pedagogy in Integrative Biology; and the Bartlett Chair in Chemical Engineering.
In addition to funding endowed faculty positions, the Bartlett Foundation has supported the Greenwood School of Music, the Cowboy Marching Band and the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts.
“What is important to us is to support the OSU students by making it possible for them to learn from world-class faculty,” said Harrison I. ‘Bart’ Bartlett II, foundation trustee and great grandnephew of Edward and Helen. “This is possible by endowing chairs to attract such faculty from around the country.”
Bartlett and members of his family, along with College of Arts and Sciences faculty and students, gathered Jan. 26 at the Social Sciences and Humanities Building on OSU-Stillwater campus for a reception celebrating the endowed chair announcement.
Bartlett said the decision to create a position within CDIS was in part due to personally receiving help from graduates in the field.
“As a student I had a stuttering impediment,” Bartlett said. “It was through a speech pathologist that I was able to get the treatment and learn to manage my stutter. We also had other family members who benefited from services provided by speech pathologists.”
Bartlett added that he has “great confidence” that the university and the OSU Foundation will be good stewards of the funds, as he’s seen with past donations.
“This visionary gift not only honors the enduring legacy of the Bartlett Foundation but also propels the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at OSU into a new era of academic excellence and innovation,” said Dr. Ramesh Kaipa, CDIS department head.
“The Edward E. & Helen T. Bartlett Foundation Endowed Chair in Communication Sciences and Disorders will play a pivotal role in advancing research, enriching education and inspiring the next generation of leaders. We are deeply honored by this commitment, which reflects a shared belief in our department’s transformative power of education and research.”