BANGOR, Maine — A $1 million gift from a retired professor will be used to create the first endowed professorship in Husson University’s 116-year history, according to the university.
Husson will create the Dr. Phil Grant Distinguished Professorship in Management and Economics, named after the longtime professor and businessman who gave the gift to the university.
“[My wife] Kathy and I always wanted to give back to Husson University,” Grant said in a news release. “It has played such a prominent role in our lives. We feel an enormous amount of satisfaction knowing that our gift will help provide students with an exceptional learning experience in business administration.”
The endowment will create a teaching position for undergraduate and graduate courses in the Husson University College of Business. That professor also will be expected to conduct research in the economics and management field at an “internationally recognized level,” according to the university.
Phil Grant of Birch Harbor retired from Husson University as professor emeritus in 2010 after 42 years. During that time, he served as chairman of business administration, director of the Husson Management Institute, academic dean and dean of enrollment management, and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in economics and management, according to the school.
“I’ve spoken to numerous alumni about our faculty, and they all talk about the lasting impact these talented educators have made on their lives,” Husson University President and CEO Robert A. Clark said in a news release, calling Grant “one of the most beloved and respected faculty members ever to teach at Husson.”
Grant graduated from the University of Maine with a physics degree in 1966 and a master’s degree in business administration two years later. Also in 1968, he joined the staff at Husson.
He went on to run a business consulting firm for 25 years, working with more than 100 Maine-based firms.
Kathy Grant also is a UMaine graduate — the couple met at the university — with a degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in business. She went on to have careers at Creative Circle, a specialized staffing agency, Rubbermaid, and taught in public and private schools across the state.
The Grants’ daughters, Karin and Leola, are Husson graduates.
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