Since its founding in 1981, WEMPEC has become a global hub for excellence that continues to make pioneering contributions to research, education, and professional service in our field of electric machines, power electronics, and drives.
As part of our plans for celebrating this special occasion of reaching 40 years in 2021, the faculty and alumni of the WEMPEC program are planning a series of commemorative activities. The “WEMPEC 40th Anniversary Founders Campaign” is being launched to raise funds from philanthropic donations that will help the ECE Department recruit top faculty candidates in power engineering who want to be affiliated with WEMPEC, enhance the research activities of WEMPEC-affiliated professors and students, and raise the global profile and reputation of WEMPEC and its home in the ECE Department at UW-Madison. Named professorships for faculty provide discretionary funding to support their innovative research and educational pursuits using income from established endowments.
As part of the campaign, we seek to create three or more named faculty professorships at some combination of assistant, associate, and full professor levels with a total campaign goal of $3M. We are convinced that we can reach this ambitious goal with the help of WEMPEC’s 600+ alumni and our large WEMPEC community of friends and supporters.
I am honored to announce the first gift, from an anonymous donor, in the amount of $250,000 to launch this campaign and honor the legacy of Professor Thomas A. Lipo, by creating the Thomas A. Lipo Fund.
- The Thomas A. Lipo Fund – a permanently endowed faculty support fund, will be awarded to a faculty member from the Department of Electrical Computer Engineering, who is conducting research and teaching in the subject of electric machines and power electronics. New gifts and pledges are welcome at any amount. Individual gifts or pledges of $25,000 or more may be matched 1:1 while funds are available or by 12/31/2020, whichever comes first. A pledge can be fulfilled over a 5-year period.
If you would like to contribute to this fund with a gift of any size, learn more about matching opportunities, or learn more about this campaign and additional naming opportunities, please contact Todd Hollister (todd.hollister@supportuw.com or 608-572-3348) to discuss your gift ideas.
Your philanthropic investment is a valuable investment in WEMPEC’s future. Thank you, and On, Wisconsin!