A gift from University of New Orleans graduate Riley Parker will fund an endowed professorship in the electrical engineering department at UNO. Matching funds from Parker’s employer, Shell Exploration & Production, brings the value of the gift to $60,000. UNO has also applied for a match in the amount of $40,000 from the State of Louisiana Board of Regents through the Louisiana Trust Fund for Eminent Scholars.
Parker, a native of Luling, earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from UNO in 1998 and a master’s in engineering management in 2006 from UNO.
"I’ve been successful in my life and my career, and I wanted to give back to the school,” said Parker. “I can think of no better way than to help fund a position for a top-notch professor who will play a significant role in training our next generation of electrical engineers.”
The Riley Parker Endowed Professorship will reward a high performing current faculty member or allow for the recruitment of a highly qualified new faculty member. Nominees for the position must hold a tenure-track position in the electrical engineering department or be eligible for that rank if selected from outside the University. Preference for the professorship shall be given to candidates with expertise in the area of control systems or, more generally, in the area of signals and systems.
“It is very gratifying to see in Riley Parker the progression of a young man from student to engineer working in his profession, and now, a supporter of the electrical engineering program at UNO,” said Norma Jean Mattei, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “Riley’s contributions may help other electrical engineering students who are just beginning their education to follow in his footsteps.”
Parker took advantage of the Shell Oil Company Foundation Educational Matching Gifts Program, which provides matching funds for gifts to eligible high schools and institutions of higher education.
“The UNO Foundation is honored to work with Riley Parker and the Shell Oil Company Foundation to support higher education in the state of Louisiana,” said Judyth Wier, president of the UNO Foundation. “UNO engineering students continue to graduate with the highest degree of skills and knowledge that enhance the economic returns for our community.”