Wendell Nedderman Endowment Fund

Dr. Wendell Nedderman Dr. Wendell H. Nedderman became the first Dean of Engineering at Arlington State College (now UT Arlington) in September of 1959 when the college was granted four-year status. Faced with the enormous tasks of recruiting new faculty members, designing new laboratories and developing new curricula, Dr. Nedderman achieved a record of thriving accomplishments that most would find hard to duplicate today.

Advances made during his 10-year tenure as Dean of Engineering include:
• Construction of a new engineering building (now known as Woolf Hall) in 1960
• Phased-in the junior year for all five of the baccalaureate degree programs
• All programs received accreditation from the Engineering Council for Professional Development
• Phased in five master's programs
• Began a doctoral program in engineering.

By 1968, seventy-five percent of the engineering faculty held doctorates and a significant number of the engineering graduates were being placed in master's and doctoral programs in recognized universities across the United States.

Having demonstrated outstanding leadership and vision as Dean of Engineering, Dr. Nedderman became Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1968 and assumed the presidency of UT Arlington in 1972, a position that he would hold for 20 years. He was named President Emeritus in 1992, but continued to teach courses in civil engineering. In August of 2005, Dr. Nedderman announced his decision to retire from teaching.

The Wendell H. Nedderman Chair for the Dean of the College of Engineering was established to recognize and honor his 46 years of dedicated service and extensive achievements in academia. A fund valued at $2 million is needed to create this distinguished chair. Proceeds of this endowment will be used as supplemental support for the Dean of the College of Engineering in areas such a personal research, undergraduate scholarships, graduate student fellowships, enhancement of faculty development, etc.