The late Cecil O. Cogburn has made a $369,000 donation through his estate to the Arkansas Tech University Foundation in support of the nuclear engineering program at Arkansas Tech.
Cogburn, who died in 2013, taught engineering at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville from 1947-89. Several of Cogburn’s former students have served on the mechanical engineering faculty at Arkansas Tech.
In all, Cogburn and his estate have donated almost $900,000 in support of the engineering program at Arkansas Tech.
“The legacy of a teacher is best reflected in the achievements of his or her students,” said Robin E. Bowen, Arkansas Tech’s president. “Dr. Cogburn has an impressive and meaningful legacy. Students at Arkansas Tech continue to benefit on a daily basis from the wisdom that he imparted and the generosity that he displayed.”
Cogburn introduced nuclear engineering courses at the UA in the mid-1960s. Decades later, his financial gifts helped Arkansas Tech develop a master of science degree in nuclear engineering.
In 2011, the addition to Corley Hall on the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville was named in his honor, recognizing his financial gifts to the university and his lifelong commitment to higher education.
“We express our appreciation to the late Dr. Cogburn for his support of Arkansas Tech and our educational mission,” said Mike Hutchison, vice president for advancement at Arkansas Tech. “These funds and the opportunities they will provide will allow our faculty and students to further enhance Arkansas Tech’s reputation for excellence in engineering.”
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