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Endowments unlock new possibilities for research, education and faculty recruitment

Andrew Pieper, MD, PhD is searching for ways the brain can heal after a traumatic injury or protect itself from effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

“These are two of the biggest problems facing society today,” said Pieper, “and there are no treatments for them.” 

Pieper directs a lab of researchers and students at �ǿմ�ý striving to identify new therapeutic possibilities for these and other neurodegenerative conditions. Still, traditional funding sources, such as the National Institutes of Health, are reluctant to support early-stage investigations without substantial evidence of their potential—which is difficult to build without funding.

Andrew Pieper, MD, PhD

Enter Rebecca Barchas, MD (MED ‘75), an alumna and retired psychiatrist. For years, she had considered creating a professorship at university.  

Recognizing the impact a gift could make on Pieper’s work in translational psychiatry—the process of taking fundamental scientific discoveries to explore the development of new medicines and treatments—Barchas made a $3.5 million gift last year to endow a School of Medicine professorship and research fund. 

“Philanthropy can significantly propel scientific research forward and open new avenues of innovation,” said Pieper, the inaugural recipient of the Rebecca E. Barchas MD Professorship in Translational Psychiatry. 

Barchas’s support has given Pieper and his lab more flexibility to explore a promising hypothesis—that restoring energy levels in the brain can encourage the repair of nerve cells, which could potentially reverse damage. 

“Thanks to Dr. Barchas’s gift, our lab can be more nimble,” added Pieper, who is also director of the Center for Brain Health Medicines at University Hospitals Harrington Discovery Institute. 

“We can test ideas right away, and depending on results, also rapidly change direction,” he said. “Otherwise, we could be waiting months or years for external funding.” 

Investing in impact

The Barchas professorship is among several recently created with philanthropic support. 

The Weatherhead School of Management announced a new professorship last fall thanks to a $2 million gift from renowned financier Mario Gabelli—the founder, chairman, and CEO of global firm Gabelli Asset Management Co. Investors, Inc.

“Mr. Gabelli is a household name in finance,” said Peter Ritchken, PhD (GRS ‘81, management), the first recipient of the Mario J. Gabelli Distinguished Professorship in Finance. “To have his name on a chair strengthens our profile and reputation far beyond campus.” 

Peter Ritchken, PhD

The Gabelli professorship provides support for an established scholar to focus on translating research findings into real-world applications. The founder and director of the school’s Master of Finance program, Ritchken earned his doctorate from Weatherhead and went on to receive �ǿմ�ý’s Faculty Distinguished Research Award and the Weatherhead Excellence in Teaching Award.

A well-known scholar of risk management and other aspects of finance, Ritchken now will have the opportunity to focus almost exclusively on research. Much of his work has immediate policy ramifications—with his findings regularly cited at the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee meetings that consider how interest rates should reflect economic conditions, for instance.

“Like Mr. Gabelli, I see finance as a noble profession—capable of promoting economic growth, reducing suffering, and benefiting the environment,” said Ritchken. “His gift allows us to produce more of the high-quality work in this field for which our university is renowned.”

 Because the professorship is endowed in perpetuity, its influence will continue for generations. 

“The chair will have enduring impact,” said Ritchken, who cites the lasting positive effects of Gabelli gifts to other notable institutions, including Columbia Graduate Business School, Boston College, Fordham University and University of Miami, among others. “It sends a strong signal that we are in the game.”

Fueling student futures

New endowed chairs also benefit students at the university.

Before James C. Wyant, PhD (CIT ‘65) became one of the most distinguished optical scientists in the world—and a successful entrepreneur— he lettered track and field and cross country at the Case Institute of Technology (CIT).

His appreciation of that experience led to the creation of the James C. Wyant Director of Athletics. 

TJ Shelton

“Dr. Wyant is enabling other students to realize the same transformative opportunities,” said TJ Shelton, who became the second recipient of the endowed position after Amy Backus retired in late 2021.  

“There’s something indelible about competing and growing together with teammates and coaches—and we’re able to facilitate those remarkable experiences for students better than ever,” added Shelton, who is also chair of physical education. 

In athletics, the Wyant endowment supports special initiatives, including recognition of student-athletes’ academic achievements and programs to aid their personal development. Programming supported by the endowment will improve leadership skills and promote nutrition and other aspects of their physical, mental, and emotional health. 

The fund has also allowed the purchase of new equipment for several teams, which in turn benefits the more than 500 students who compete in varsity athletics each academic year. 

“It’s an investment in our student-athletes,” said Shelton, “who are some of our university’s best ambassadors.”

A longtime �ǿմ�ý trustee and former chair of its board, Wyant previously funded the refurbishment of the university’s track and field facilities—named after his CIT coach, Bill Sudeck—as well as the construction of the Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center and other projects on campus.

Talent magnet

A renowned academic and researcher, Wyant is also driving discovery at the university by supporting the talents of new faculty and students.

Wyant recently endowed a position that was leveraged to recruit Sanmukh Rao Kuppannagari, PhD to �ǿմ�ý last fall, citing the importance of creating opportunities for young professors to build the foundations for productive careers. 

Sanmukh Rao Kuppannagari, PhD

“It's a huge honor and a special opportunity,” said Kuppannagari, the inaugural James C. Wyant Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Data Sciences at the Case School of Engineering. “It also comes with a great responsibility, which only further motivates my work.” 

Kuppannagari explores how to improve aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) models, including reducing the often-steep energy use required to create and maintain them. More sustainable and affordable AI models could promote wider access to these tools, he said, which otherwise could become the exclusive domain of well-resourced entities.  

Funds provided by the new professorship already are accelerating Kuppannagari’s research, allowing for the purchase of vital equipment—and for the creation of undergraduate lab positions.

“This chair enables me to mentor students and give them opportunities that can kickstart their own careers,” he said. “Really, it’s an investment in our potential.” 

Originally published in the summer 2023 issue of Forward Thinking magazine