In 2021, the Texas A&M University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering was named the Wm Michael Barnes ’64 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering due to the generosity of Dr. William Michael Barnes and his wife, Sugar. The Barnes family has given more than $10 million to Texas A&M, including the endowment to rename the department in honor of its 80th anniversary.
In light of the renaming, the department has set a vision to be one of the top-five programs in the country in the next five years and a powerhouse of excellence and talent in engineering education and research. To attain this lofty vision, the department has set five integrated goals:
- Recruit and retain excellent students.
- Attract and retain top research faculty, teaching faculty and staff.
- Establish and maintain world-class research and teaching facilities.
- Foster diversity, inclusion, climate and equity.
- Increase departmental visibility.
The endowment provides students the opportunity to learn and prosper in industrial and systems engineering while also allowing for faculty retention and recognition. In particular, the department has now established the following professorships and faculty fellowships:
- Mike and Sugar Barnes Professorship II in Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Mike and Sugar Barnes Professorship III in Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Mike and Sugar Barnes Career Development Faculty Fellowship I in Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Mike and Sugar Barnes Career Development Faculty Fellowship II in Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Mike and Sugar Barnes Faculty Fellowship I in Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Mike and Sugar Barnes Faculty Fellowship II in Industrial and Systems Engineering
This is in addition to the previously established Mike and Sugar Barnes Professorship I in Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Mike and Sugar Barnes Department Head Chair.
“Becoming a named department has been one of the greatest opportunities that this department has had, and this is a game-changer for our students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Lewis Ntaimo, department head.