John Austin White Jr (born December 5, 1939) is an American academic who was the fourth chancellor of the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

. He succeeded Daniel Ferritor in 1997 after previously serving as the dean of

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

College of Engineering Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations that ...

. As chancellor, White transformed the University of Arkansas; including the $1 billion "Campaign for the 21st Century" capital campaign, which created the

University of Arkansas Honors College The Honors College at the University of Arkansas enhances the learning of students by sharing unique learning experiences with participants. From 10 to 15% of Arkansas undergraduates participate in the Honors College. Entering freshman for the Hon ...

, endowed the

University of Arkansas Graduate School The Graduate School at the University of Arkansas is a center for postgraduate education Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-second ...

and UA Libraries, added 132 tenured faculty, 1738 scholarships and fellowships, funded millions of dollars of brick and mortar improvements, and grew the university by almost every academic statistic. Since his departure from the chancellor's office in 2008, White has remained at the university, teaching in the industrial engineering department.

University of Arkansas

White left his job as dean of

in order to become chancellor at his alma mater, the University of Arkansas in 1997. Promising to be an agent of change, White worked to shift the focus of the institution onto academics, including research and knowledge-based careers the state would need to compete in the global economy. Under his leadership, the university embarked on the "Campaign for the 21st Century", an ambitious capital campaign initially set for a goal of $500 million, despite having a total endowment of only $119 million in 1997. The Campaign for the Twenty-First Century allowed for the creation of the

, while endowing University Libraries and the

. In the classroom, 132 faculty positions were endowed and 1,738 scholarships and fellowships were added. New donors accounted for a significant portion of the Campaign, with 41,600 of 72,641 total donors giving to UA academics for their first time. Benefactors made 304,328 individual gifts and pledges by the campaign's end in 2005. The largest gift was $300 million, pledged by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, the largest gift in the history of public education philanthropy at the time. White and his wife contributed $1.5 million to endow a systems integration chair in industrial engineering department.

Honors

In 1987, White was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

for "the creative development of engineering principles and computational procedures used in the design and analysis of material handling systems". University of Arkansas Hall of Engineering

University of Arkansas Hall of Engineering

White was elected to the 2002 class of

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s of the

Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) is an international society for practitioners in the fields of operations research (O.R.), management science, and analytics. It was established in 1995 with the merger of ...

. He was named to the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence in 2011. In 2012, Engineering Hall was renamed "John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall" in honor of White. The collegiate gothic structure was originally completed in 1925 and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as a contributing property in the

University of Arkansas Campus Historic District The University of Arkansas Campus Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 23, 2009. The district covers the historic core of the Universi ...

. He was given honorary doctorates by

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

and the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

Personal

Born in Portland, Arkansas on December 5, 1939, and a 1957 high school graduate of Harrison, Arkansas, White is married to the former Mary Elizabeth Quarles, whom he married in 1963. They have two children and four grandchildren. His son, John A. White III, is president and CEO of a facility logistics company.

Education

He received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering (B.S.I.E.) in 1962 from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, received his Master of Science in Industrial Engineering, (M.S.I.E.) in 1966 from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, and his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in 1969 from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

References

External links