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Indian-American couple endow civil engineering professorship at University of Arkansas
Selvam, a university professor who has taught and conducted research at the university since the mid-1980s, described the gift as a way of giving back.
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Bhavana P - Wed, 03, Sep 2025
- 13:35 EDT
- 160
(L-R) Chitra and R. Panneer Selvam / University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas has announced a $1 million gift from Indian-American couple R. Panneer Selvam and his wife, Chitra.
The gift will establish the Chitra and Panneer Selvam endowed professorship in civil engineering, aimed to strengthen faculty excellence and research in computer modeling and computational mechanics. It will also support faculty recruitment, provide resources for undergraduate and graduate students, and expand research opportunities in a high-impact field, the university said in a statement.
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“The Selvam Endowed Professorship is a powerful investment in faculty excellence and student success. It will help elevate our civil engineering program and empower the next generation of scholars to conduct high-impact research. We are deeply grateful to Chitra and Panneer, not only for this incredible gift but also for their many years of dedication to the University of Arkansas and our students,” said chancellor Charles Robinson.
Selvam, a university professor who has taught and conducted research at the university since the mid-1980s, described the gift as a way of giving back. His career has spanned continents, from research in Australia and Denmark to establishing the Computational Mechanics Laboratory at the university.
“I am hoping this is just the start of giving back to the university, which has given me so much. I also hope this will help raise the department and the university to the next level in national ranking and recognition,” Selvam said.
Born in India, Selvam overcame early obstacles to pursue education, arriving in the United States with $10 and a determination to succeed. His own reliance on financial support inspires the gift’s focus on graduate student funding.
“Gifts like this from the Selvam family help us recruit and retain top faculty. It will also provide support for the research mission of the university, allowing the professorship holder to fund both undergraduate and graduate students, purchase needed equipment and present research at national and international conferences,” said Micah Hale, department head for civil engineering.
A national search will be conducted to appoint the inaugural holder of the professorship once the endowment is fully vested.
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