The Associated General Contractors Danny Claiborne Professorship in Construction Management established in Murray State University’s School of Engineering

MURRAY, Ky. – The Associated General Contractors (AGC) Danny Claiborne Professorship is the first establishment of an endowed professorship to support the construction management program in the School of Engineering at Murray State University.

The generous gifts come from Racer alumni, AGC membership participants, including a lead gift from the Western Kentucky chapter of the AGC, to honor Dr. Claiborne’s long-standing dedication to service and teaching excellence in the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology.

The major gift will be matched through the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s Endowment Match Program, also known as Bucks for Brains. Thanks to an appropriation from the Commonwealth of Kentucky and pending state and Murray State Board of Regents approval, the program matches public money with private gifts to fund endowed faculty positions in the STEM-H fields. This collaboration is critical to advancing Kentucky’s research presence into national prominence. This program encourages donor investment by doubling their gift commitment.

Claiborne began at Murray State University during the fall semester of 1985 as part of the faculty of what would later become the School of Engineering within the Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology. In the fall of 1998, he began serving  as department chair for the School of Engineering until his retirement in 2022.

"Dr. Claiborne was instrumental in building the Construction Management and Architectural (CMA) Design Program to the powerhouse of education that it is today,” said Dr. Claire Fuller, dean of the college. “Our CMA students are in high demand across the Southeast. I can’t think of a better way to honor Dr. Claiborne’s legacy than to support furthering his educational goals through an endowed professorship."

With the University’s Be Bold: Forever Blue & Gold Centennial Campaign underway, Dr. Tina Bernot, executive director of development adds, “A pillar of our campaign is to have a transformational impact on teaching and learning. This gift will help us meet our goal of enhancing our high-quality academic programs as we work toward securing gifts to establish an endowed faculty position in every department on campus. We are incredibly grateful to AGC, Mr. Chris Nelson and many others for these generous gifts in honor of Dr. Danny Claiborne.”

To make a gift to the University and help support this new fund and the Be Bold: Forever Blue & Gold Centennial Campaign please call the Murray State Office of Development at 270-809-3001 or visit murraystate.edu/giving.