The event honors faculty members who have recently been named to endowed professorship and chair appointments. The ceremony also recognizes the donors whose generosity has enabled the establishment of these crucial endowments that support UT Dallas instructional programs and research. UT Dallas has more than 140 endowed chairs and professorships, which recognize the scholarship and research of senior faculty members. They honestly humble me and give me real hope for the future.”Also being recognized is Dr. Ovidiu Daescu, who became department head of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science in 2022. During that time, the computer science department expanded to more than 4,000 undergraduate students.