$1 Million Donation to Webster University
Donation creates an endowed professorship in biology
ST. LOUIS – Larry and Jinny Browning have donated $1 million to Webster University
to establish the Laurance L. Browning, Jr. Endowed Professorship in Biological Sciences
in the College of Arts & Sciences. The person hired for that new position will be
tasked with elevating the study of biology in the community.
The announcement of the donation was made during a Board of Trustees meeting earlier
today.
“This gift is an important step in enhancing our exemplary STEMM – science, technology,
engineering, math and medicine – programs at Webster University, at the same time
we make plans to construct the new Interdisciplinary Science Building,” said Elizabeth
(Beth) J. Stroble, president of Webster University. “We know that our region needs
more students educated in STEMM disciplines, and this generous donation from 2008
Webster University Visionary Honorees Larry and Jinny Browning will fortify Webster’s
comprehensive effort to prepare our future leaders for these needs.”
In a written statement, Jinny Browning said her husband was a firm believer in the
importance of science learning. He passed away in 2012. “Larry truly loved Webster.
He always said, ‘You cannot have a good university without a good biological sciences
program,’” the statement says. “It is a fitting legacy of Larry’s love of Webster
to ensure exceptional academic leadership and student engagement in the biological
sciences through the creation of an endowed professorship.”
Under the terms of the donation, the professor hired for the new position must have
a primary expertise in biology and will teach classes. The professor also will:
- Advance the study of biological sciences on Webster University’s home campus as well as throughout the University’s network of campus around the world by engaging in research, scholarship and academic publishing;
- Participate in organizations and events related to science, with the goal of cultivating interest in the study of biology at Webster University and in the community;
- Coordinate the academic and co-curricular activities funded through the donation;
- Highlight topics of contemporary importance to communities in a global context;
- Provide leadership in illustrating the importance and influence of the study of science in the context of the liberal arts.
“This endowed professorship is central to Webster's strategic intention to enhance
STEMM-related studies,” said Julian Schuster, Webster's provost, senior vice president
and chief operating officer. “The generous gift from Larry and Jinny Browning will
enhance Webster's capacity to provide academic leadership in STEMM education in our
community for decades to come.”
“This is an exciting time for science at Webster University, one that comes on the
eve of construction of our new Interdisciplinary Science Building,” said David Carl
Wilson, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “While this will significantly raise
the profile of Webster University as a STEMM-focused institution, ultimately, it is
our students who will benefit through the access to these resources.”
The Browning family has been associated with Webster University for nearly three decades.
Larry Browning joined the Board of Trustees in 1986, served as chairman from 1991
until 1993, and was named a Life Trustee in 2005. He was the founder and director
of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, which operates on Webster University’s home campus.
Larry and Jinny Browning were also major philanthropists to Webster University’s Community
Music School and the construction of the Emerson Library, and have made a significant
gift toward the construction of the Interdisciplinary Science Building. Additionally,
their daughter Kathryn B. Hendrickson attended Webster University.
In the community, Larry Browning served on the board of directors for the Grand Center,
Sheldon Concert Hall, the St. Louis Science Center, Forest Park Forever, the St. Louis
Children’s Hospital, the Missouri Historical Society, the Sheldon Arts Foundation
and the St. Louis Symphony. He was a director of Inroads Inc., vice president and
director of the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis and served as chairman
of the Arts and Education Fund Drive in 1982. He also served on the executive committee
of the Missouri Arts Council, and was a trustee for both the St. Louis Community Foundation
and the St. Louis Art Museum.
The University will start looking for a professor to fill the new position by 2017,
the same year that the Interdisciplinary Science Building could be completed.
With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network
of international residential campuses and a robust online learning program. Founded
in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military
and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional campuses in Asia,
Europe, North America, and Africa. The university is committed to delivering high-quality
learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual
excellence.
- News & Events Home
- 2013 News Archive
- 2012 News Archive
- Contact Media Relations Experts
- Webster Today
- Fast Facts PDF
- Stroble Encourages Women’s Conference Attendees to ‘Join the Table’
- Freshman Preview Day 2/17/14
- Summer Registration
- Webster Men Gain SLIAC Basketball Championship Berth
- Functionality Test
- Alumnus Receives Assistant Attorney General Award
- Webster University Names Scott Kilgallon Director of Athletics
- Psychology Professor Linda Woolf Guides Adoption of American Psychological Association’s New Anti-Torture, Pro-Human Rights Policy
- Webster University’s Animation Program Ranked in National List
- Webster University Participates in Give STL Day
- Gorloks Finish Perfect 26-0 in SLIAC
- Webster University Chess Team Co-Hosts First Tournament for Local Schools
- Webster University Baseball Ascends to Top of d3baseball.com Poll
- Webster University’s Walker School Honors AT&T Chairman & CEO Randall Stephenson
- Gorloks Capture Fifth Straight SLIAC Title
- A World Class Family
- Metro UPass Program Extended into 3rd Year
- Cybersecurity Program Launches in St. Louis This Summer
- Webster Hosts S.O.A.R. Program
- Successful Kick-off for Centennial Film Series
- Webster University’s Study Abroad Program Ranked Among Best in the Nation
- Webster’s Study Abroad Program Ranked Nationally in Open Doors Report
- Ferguson Information
- Kiplinger’s Ranks Webster as a “Best Value” In the United States
- Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month
- Secretary Tom Ridge to Discuss Cybersecurity in Downtown St. Louis
- Webster University Named a Best for Vets: Business Schools by Military Times
- Webster University’s School of Education Launches New Doctorate of Education
- Centennial Scholarship Established for Incoming Freshme
- Putting Theory into Practice One Word at a Time
- City, University Pave Way for Interdisciplinary Science Building in Webster Groves
- The Sounds of Success
- Webster University’s Chess Team Wins National Championship
- Webster Receives $100k Grant from The William Randolph Hearst Foundations
- Webster Singers Selected to Help Open Remodeled Pulitzer Arts Space
- Lewis and Clark Community College and Webster University Sign Agreement
- Community Invited to Make Public Art
- Webster University Chess Team to Help Community Members Improve Their Game
- Webster University Taps International Leadership for Global Positions and Enhanced Responsibilities
- Webster University Opens New Campus Location in Kansas City
- Starting Wars & Making Monsters
- Webster University Launches New Strategic Plan Global Impact for the Next Century
- Endowed Chair Created in Honor of Dean Peter Sargent
- Ombudsman Appointed to Webster University Thailand Campus
- Webster University Participates in Give STL Day
- From “Cap & Gown” to “Gown & Crown”
- A Global Perspective
- Benjamin Akande Named President of Westminster College
- Professor Jameca Falconer Earns Fulbright Award
- Five Freshmen Selected as Presidential Scholars
- Baseball Team Headed to 3rd World Series
- Webster University Adds New Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
- Webster University Launches Cyberspace Research Institute
- Webster, Oxford Brookes Sign Memorandum of Understanding
- Cybersecurity Program Launches in Kansas City
- Thomas Johnson Named Interim Dean of Webster University’s George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology
- Helping Educators Teach for a Sustainable Future
- Jensen Named Interim Director of the Office of Corporate Partnerships