September 19, 2001

Contact: John Scarffe, KU Endowment Association, (785) 832-7336.

Couple establishes first professorship in counseling psychology at KU

LAWRENCE - A Georgia couple has pledged $250,000 to establish the first endowed professorship in counseling psychology at the University of Kansas, School of Education Dean Angela Lumpkin announced today.

Delbert L. and Barbara Ossian Williamson of Atlanta made the gift to the Kansas University Endowment Association to create the Williamson Family Professorship in Counseling Psychology and Research in Education. When fulfilled, the pledge will be eligible for a $250,000 match from General Electric Co., Del Williamson's employer. The match will bring the total for the professorship fund to $500,000. The interest earned on the fund will be eligible for matching support by the state of Kansas through the Kansas Partnership for Faculty of Distinction program.

The Williamsons' gift counts toward the $500 million goal of KU First: Invest in Excellence. KU First is the largest fund-raising campaign in KU history.

"Del and I both believe very strongly that education is the key to a successful life and career," said Barbara Williamson, a Topeka, Kan., native and a KU alumna. "We feel that KU is a leader in the field of education. We hope our gift will help KU continue to attract a high level of talent and perhaps inspire others to make similar endowments in the future."

Dean Lumpkin said the professorship will have a long-range impact.

"The Williamsons have made an outstanding contribution for the KU School of Education," she said. "The School of Education now has its first endowed professorship that can be used to help the school attract and retain an exceptional faculty member in counseling psychology. That individual could have a profound influence by contributing to the body of research in counseling psychology or by guiding the careers of our students, who will someday be counselors in elementary or high schools or in community agencies. We could not be more grateful for this generous support."

Barbara Williamson earned a bachelor's degree in education from KU in 1963. As a student she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta and of the KU Panhellenic Council. She taught at Central Junior High School in Kansas City, Mo., and for two years at a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, middle school. She has volunteered for a variety of philanthropic and community organizations, including school tutoring programs, Literacy Volunteers and the Girl Scouts.

Del Williamson studied engineering in the mid-1950s at KU, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He finished his education at Finlay College in Kansas City, Mo., where he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering in 1959. After graduation, he began a career with General Electric that has spanned more than four decades and three countries. Today he is president of Power Systems Global Sales in Atlanta. The Williamsons married shortly after Barbara Williamson graduated from KU. They have one daughter, Sara Lynn.

In addition to their support for the professorship, the Williamsons have pledged $1 million for KU through their estate plans. They have previously provided funding for the Kansas Alumni Association, the Sigma Phi Epsilon Award Fund, the Gamma Phi Beta Educational Foundation and for the renovation of Joseph R. Pearson Hall, education's home at KU. They are lifetime members of the Alumni Association; members of the Chancellors Club, KU Endowment's major-donor organization; and members of the Elizabeth Watkins Society, which recognizes donors of planned gifts.

The KU First campaign, which will continue until 2004, is raising funds for scholarships, fellowships, professorships, capital projects and program support. KU Endowment, which organized KU First, is an independent, non-profit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU.

The Kansas University Endowment Association is an independent, non-profit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for the University of Kansas. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university and one of the largest.