UNO Recognizes Entergy, State of Louisiana for $2 Million Endowment

Convocation Includes the Investiture of $2 Million Endowed Chair in the College of Engineering May 1, 2008 — UNO's Faculty/Staff Recognition Convocation, "A Tribute to Excellence," held April 30 in the Performing Arts Center, included the investiture of the Entergy Chair in Power Systems Engineering. Dr. Parviz Rastgoufard, who previously served as the Entergy Chair at Tulane University and Director of the Entergy Electric Power Research Laboratory, will serve as the Entergy Endowed Chair in Power Systems Engineering at UNO. Dr. Rastgoufard's area of expertise focuses on the creation of large-scale smart grids, the prediction and prevention of blackouts and on electric grid infrastructure.

May 2, 2008 — UNO honored Entergy Corporation and the Louisiana Board of Regents on Wednesday for their donations of $1.2 million and $800,000, respectively, to create the Entergy Endowed Chair in Power Systems Engineering in the UNO College of Engineering.

"The Entergy Endowed Chair in Power Systems Engineering will expose students to cutting-edge instruction and facilities in industrial technology," said Chancellor Timothy P. Ryan, "thus preparing our students for successful careers in this vital industry."

During the investiture of the Entergy Endowed Chair at the UNO Faculty/Staff Recognition Convocation held April 30, Chancellor Ryan presented a plaque to Entergy for its generosity and vision to help the university develop the Power Systems Engineering program into one of the finest electric power programs in the country.

"Combined with UNO's educational and research expertise, we believe this endowment will attract today's young minds to study electric power systems and provide a pipeline for future generations of engineers," said George Bartlett, director of transmission operations for Entergy.

"This is an important gesture from a corporation that clearly understands the importance academics plays in the future success and sustainability of Louisiana," said Dr. Rastgoufard.

The Louisiana Board of Regents matched Entergy's contribution with $800,000, bringing the total endowment to $2 million.

Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 14,300 employees.