When Cameron University’s Dr. Ann Nalley took a seat in the Johnson Auditorium for a faculty meeting last week, she had no idea she would be called to the front of the room by President Shane Hunt. Hunt wanted Nalley to be front and center when he announced the establishment of the Dr. Ann Nalley Endowed Lectureship in Chemistry, which will benefit CU faculty and students in perpetuity.
The endowment was launched by a dedicated group of alumni who had either taken a class with Dr. Nalley or knew someone else who had done so.
“You are a treasure to Cameron University, a treasure to the state of Oklahoma, a treasure to the chemistry discipline and a treasure to thousands of students who have learned from you,” Hunt told Nalley when making the announcement. “I hope that I’m 70 percent of the professor you are. So many alumni tell me that Dr. Nalley is their favorite professor. You are the best of what our profession is all about.”
Nalley was initially surprised upon hearing about the endowment, then beamed with pride as she spoke to her colleagues about her endeavors throughout 55 years of teaching at Cameron.
“I couldn’t do anything without Cameron’s support,” Nalley said, adding that although many urged her to seek a faculty position at a larger university, she knew “Cameron’s been the right place for me.” Addressing the faculty members in attendance, she said, “And Cameron’s the right place for all of you, because if you want to do something, you just ask. And then you work really hard to make it happen.”
A native of Checotah, Nalley joined the Cameron faculty in 1969 as an instructor. She became the university’s first female full professor in 1978. During her tenure, she has created summer camps and academies that continue each year and has authored and coauthored hundreds of articles and papers on chemical topics, as well as having published works on minorities in science and teaching methods in the sciences. Her teaching and research mentorship have inspired countless students at Cameron, where she has earned every teaching award available, including the university’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Award. Nalley was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Educational Hall of Fame in 2010.
A highly sought-after speaker, Nalley has served at the national level for numerous organizations, including president of the American Chemical Society (ACS) as well as Phi Kappa Phi. Her achievements and dedication to the discipline of chemistry have been honored and recognized by a plethora of regional and national organizations. She is an ACS Fellow and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Nalley’s work has earned international acclaim. She has served as the plenary speaker at chemistry conferences around the world and was the first woman hold a position on the Committee to Organize an International Meeting for the Chemical Societies of the Countries Bordering on the Pacific Ocean. In 2019, she was named as one of 12 Distinguished Women in Chemistry by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. She currently serves as vice president for the Malta Conferences Foundation, an international organization focused on improving the quality of life and political stability in the Middle East.
“Cameron is so blessed that Dr. Nalley chose to make Cameron her professional home,” Hunt said. “We’re delighted to establish this endowment in her honor and are deeply grateful to the alumni, former and current colleagues and community members who donated to this cause. We’ve actually come full circle – Dr. Nalley has impacted the lives of scholars, chemists, healthcare providers, researchers and more on an international level. In turn, many of those people have chosen to honor her contributions to Cameron University, higher education and the chemistry profession around the world.”
“I’m just thrilled to be honored with this endowed lectureship,” Nalley said. “I’ve benefitted from funding generated by multiple endowments for many, many years, using that funding to provide educational opportunities to Cameron students. It’s gratifying to know that an endowment in my name will now be used to help students for generations to come.”
Cameron has a greater number of endowed faculty positions than any other regional public university in Oklahoma. These positions make a direct contribution to the quality of teaching and learning at Cameron by enabling academic endeavors that would not otherwise be possible.
To contribute to the Dr. Ann Nalley Endowed Lectureship or to learn about establishing a new endowment, contact the Cameron University Foundation at foundation@cameron.edu or call 580-581-2999.
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