Rockwell Creates an Endowed Dean's Chair for Libraries

Dean Dana Rooks, Elizabeth Rockwell, and President Arthur K. Smith

At a private luncheon reception hosted by President and Mrs. Smith at the Wortham House on February 11, the University of Houston Libraries announced the creation of its first endowed chair, the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Endowed Dean's Chair. Several deans, members of the Board of Regents, and community leaders attended the ceremony to honor the chair's creator, Elizabeth Rockwell. A longtime university supporter and UH alumna, Ms. Rockwell endowed the position in order to benefit the library and the university, as a whole, for generations. "I wanted to do something that could benefit the other 13 UH colleges. I believed the best way to accomplish this was to make a contribution to the libraries, which are the keystone of the university and every college within it," said Ms. Rockwell at the reception. Current Dean of Libraries Dana Rooks will be the first person to hold the endowed dean's chair position. "I am honored to be the first recipient of the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Chair in the M.D. Anderson Library. Ms. Rockwell's remarkable achievements in the world of finance, her extraordinary generosity and her devotion to the University of Houston serve as a model to which we can all aspire," said Dean Rooks.

In academic circles, endowed chairs are highly sought after and prestigious positions. They offer the holder of the chair a constant source of yearly funding which may be used at his or her discretion. According to Dean Rooks, many professors or deans who hold an endowed chair use the money to fund additional research, equipment, for travel expenses, or to hire staff to help them in their research and publishing activities. Dean Rooks has already determined that a primary use of the dean's chair funds will be for staff development activities within the libraries.

Elizabeth Rockwell with members of the Board of Regents: (from left to right) Gene McDavid, Eduardo Aguirre, Suzette Caldwell, Rockwell, Teresa Chang, Bo Smith, June Smith, Arthur K. Smith

Elizabeth Rockwell with the Deans: (from left to right) Raymond Flumerfelt, Alan Stutts, Dana Rooks, John Bear, Rockwell, Jerry Strickland, Dick Rozelle

Because of an endowed chair's prestige, the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Endowed Dean's Chair will be instrumental in attracting future deans to UH. "[The endowed chair] will greatly enhance our ability to attract the very best leaders to our library for generations to come," said Dean Rooks.

The manner in which Ms. Rockwell presented this endowment is testimony to her commitment to the libraries. The decision to create this endowment was made in October of 1998. However, Ms. Rockwell preferred to delay the announcement of the endowment because she did not want to interfere or divert attention from the library's Two Millionth Volume celebration which was taking place in November. She insisted that the achievements of the library take priority over recognition of her own generosity.

Ms. Rockwell is the executive director of investments in the Private Client Division of CIBC Oppenheimer Corporation. She is a nationally recognized expert in estate, retirement, investment, and tax planning. She was a leader in the first Keogh and IRA plans for the savings and loan industry in Houston. Recently, she has created the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Endowment for Special Collections and Archives for the libraries as well as the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Career Services Center for the College of Business Administration. She has been honored as a distinguished alumna by the Houston Alumni Organization. In February, she was recognized by Mayor Lee Brown for her commitment to literacy. On May 14th, at the university's general commencement ceremony, Ms. Rockwell became Dr. Rockwell when her alma mater conferred upon her an honorary doctorate degree.

Elizabeth Rockwell is a remarkable individual and the libraries are proud to have the Dean of Libraries Chair bear her name.

Keith Heimbaugh