Joseph Vaughan Professorship:
Funding a Legacy

Joseph L. Vaughan was a University alumnus (College ’26, ’27, ’40) and faculty member of the School of Arts & Sciences when he came to the Engineering School in 1936 to teach humanities to engineering students. He became a legend around Grounds for his keen wit, dedication and determination to make communicators out of engineers who often wished to be anything but.

He was revered and respected by his students over the years. Howard C. Ligon (ME ’62) recently noted, “Without confirmation, I am as certain as I can be that he was single-handedly responsible for my graduating.” Another recollection from T. Bert Whitt (EE ’75) shows Professor Vaughan’s wit as well as his lasting impact: “As a first-year man from the western mountains of Virginia, let’s just say that my ability to speak publicly was lacking. I have never forgotten and often remind myself when speaking in professional settings not to speak as though my mouth was full of potatoes — a chastisement that Professor Vaughan gave me in his first-year humanities class.”

The Joseph L. Vaughan Professorship was established in his honor by an anonymous donor in 1970 and Professor Vaughan held that chaired position until his retirement in 1975. He was also the University’s first provost and first chancellor of the Virginia Community College System.

The professorship resides in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, which is a new name for the humanities department Professor Vaughan founded on his arrival in 1936. Although the name has changed over the years, the core mission of the department that Professor Vaughan created has remained the same. The department continues to ensure that engineering students understand the social implications of technology and are able to thoughtfully consider the ethical issues inherent in their profession. The department remains dedicated to educating engineers who can effectively communicate orally and in writing.

The endowment is not yet sufficient to hire a faculty member to engage the students the way Professor Vaughan did throughout his teaching career. With this in mind, the Engineering School continues to seek funds to grow the endowment. In the global, interconnected world in which engineers work today, SEAS students need that influence more than ever. Support for the Joseph Vaughan chair will help the Engineering School provide the kind of education that is essential for engineering students to succeed in the 21st century.

For more information about supporting the Joseph Vaughan Professorship, please visit http://www.seas.virginia.edu/dev/.