For Bart Aitken, the decision to make two gifts to West Virginia University’s Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering was rooted in his desire to perpetuate a spirit of support that was instilled in him by his parents.

“My parents made it possible for their four sons to earn undergraduate degrees at West Virginia University, three of which were earned in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources,” said Aitken, a 1981 graduate. “While neither of my parents earned such a degree, they knew how important it would be for each of us to gain this valuable education and earn a degree at a time in our lives when we may not have had the same understanding or placed the same value on it.”

Looking back now, Aitken realizes how wise they were.

“They could have enjoyed the fruits of their labor a little more or made their own lives a little easier and more comfortable, but instead, they used their finances to send their boys to WVU,” he said. “By establishing this scholarship in their honor, I hope to be able to perpetuate their spirit of supporting and encouraging others to gain that valuable WVU education.”

Aitken and his wife, Tamara, pledged $100,000 to the Department to create the Robert L. and Pauline Aitken Scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded to two students annually who have completed at least 75 percent of their junior industrial engineering courses and have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, achievement and hard work.

In a separate gift, the coupled pledged $50,000 to create the Bart A. and Tamara Aitken Endowment. Funds from the endowment will be used at the discretion of the Department chair.

“We realize that unanticipated opportunities often arise during a school year, such as the desire to participate in an important conference, hosting of a lecture, or needing to upgrade a piece of software or equipment,” Aitken said. “With this unrestricted fund, our intent was to enable the Department chair to take advantage of some of these opportunities, thereby helping to keep the Department strong and nimble, and enriching the educational experience of its students.”

Aitken is a group president at The Harbour Group, a privately owned operating company headquartered in St. Louis. The company is engaged in manufacturing, distribution and specialty services in multiple industries.

“Bart is a strong supporter of the Industrial Engineering Program both financially and through his involvement with its Visiting Committee and Academy,” said Wafik Iskander, chair of the Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering. “These gifts will help many students in the future, and will also help the Department in carrying out its mission.”

The gift was made in conjunction with A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University. The $750 million comprehensive campaign being conducted by the WVU Foundation of behalf of the University runs through December 2015.

-WVU-

mcd/02/20/13

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CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon; Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304-293-4086; mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu