Professor and wife pledge $2.5 million for professorship, fellowships, scholarships

David and Gladys Hau McNelis have pledged $2.5 million to establish a professorship in the Carolina Environmental Program. The McNelis professor will hold a joint appointment in the program and the UNC School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering.

Their pledge also will provide fellowships in environmental sciences and engineering through the Graduate School, as well as undergraduate scholarships in environmental studies.

The professorship is to be administered by the Carolina Environmental Program, a campuswide interdisciplinary initiative focusing on environmental learning, research and public service. The gift will allow recruitment of one of the world's top environmental sciences and engineering scholars.

The graduate fellowships will go toward attracting the best environmental sciences and engineering students. Those who receive scholarships will participate in experiential learning at one of the Carolina Environmental Program's field sites in North Carolina or overseas.

David McNelis is a graduate of the UNC School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering. He is the Carolina Environmental Program's deputy director and also serves as chairman of the University's Graduate Education Advancement Board.