A gift by emeritus professor Robert Mahan and his wife, Beatrice, will endow a professorship in French literature, language, history, and/or culture in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures.

During his tenure as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mahan enrolled in the Virginia Tech French program, earning an undergraduate degree in the language.

For the faculty member selected for the professorship, the endowment will reduce the teaching load, provide summer salary support, and offset research expenditures, publication costs, and travel to professional meetings.