Bob and Sue Vaughan establish endowed chair at the W.A. Franke Honors College
A $2 million gift from Bob and Sue Vaughan will create the SueBob Vaughan Leaders Endowed Chair at the University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors College.
The Vaughans are longtime supporters of university students and faculty through gifts benefitting the College of Science, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, the College of Nursing and the Franke Honors College.
Bob and Sue Vaughan with Franke Honors College Dean John Pollard.
Johanne Jensen-Ives/W.A. Franke Honors College
"Bob and Sue Vaughan, or SueBob as we like to call them, have made things possible that wouldn't have been without this gift," said Franke Dean John Pollard. "Our students are going to have the opportunity to deepen their sense of holistic wellness, thinking about what it takes to be a human who is not only striving and achieving professionally and academically, but who is also developing the mental and physical health that supports their goals."
The Vaughans' vision is for the chairholder to invest in the next generation of students, particularly those studying disciplines in health care, but also more broadly by supporting student wellness and modeling authentic leadership. Positioned in the Franke Honors College, the SueBob Vaughan Leaders Endowed Chair will connect key initiatives across campus, creating pathways for students and faculty to work across health disciplines to hone their leadership skills and take full advantage of the university's resources.
"In our goals together, we have this thread that goes through, and it is called caring for people," said Sue Vaughan. "We have always tried to do that in our own clinical care, research and publications. We are always caring for people and when we do that, we want to reinforce the power of authentic leadership. We see this endowed chair as an opportunity to help put forward a vision of wellness for students as they enter the Franke Honors College."
This month, the Vaughans were recognized by the W.A. Franke Honors College as 2026 Honors Legacy Award winners.
Their commitment to the U of A is rooted in their own academic and professional experiences. A founding faculty member of the College of Medicine – Tucson, Bob Vaughan's career has spanned decades as a leader in health care, including 15 years as the chairman of the department of anesthesiology in the College of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. After receiving her Ph.D. in 1980 from the U of A College of Nursing, Sue Vaughan served as a research associate in the department of anesthesiology and pharmacology at the U of A.
"Sue and Bob recognize the critical role that faculty play in shaping students' current and future success," said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the University of Arizona Foundation. "Because of them, honors students will have a new champion in their corner. That the U of A played a role in both their careers makes this legacy all the more meaningful."
The chair will benefit from the U of A's Eminent Scholars Program, established to help the university recruit and retain top faculty. Through the program, an award augments donated funds to provide additional support to the endowed chair. The SueBob Vaughan Leaders Endowed Chair is part of the university's $3 billion Fuel Wonder campaign, which focuses on future-shaping research, student success and engagement with the community.