Minden's Bently contributes $1 million to endow university foundation chair

Minden industrialist Don Bently has contributed to establishing a $1 million fund with Cleveland State University Foundation to create the Donald Bently and Agnes Muszynska Endowed Chair in Rotating Machinery in Cleveland State's Fenn College of Engineering.

Bently, a Cleveland native and authority on rotor dynamics and vibration monitoring and diagnostics, and Agnes Muszynska, a scientist in the area of machinery dynamics, established a $1 million fund with the Cleveland State University Foundation to create the new chair.

The Bently and Muszynska Chair will be awarded to Jerzy T. Sawicki, a tenured, full-time professor of mechanical engineering in the Fenn College of Engineering.

Sawicki is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Ohio, an American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellow, director of the Rotor-Bearing Dynamics and Diagnostics Laboratory in the College of Engineering, and a recipient of the prestigious 2001 Ohio Outstanding Engineering Educator Award.

"Donald Bently and Agnes Muszynska have made outstanding contributions to society through their remarkable intellectual, professional, scientific and public service efforts. Both are known throughout the world for their achievements in engineering science and technology," said Cleveland State President Michael Schwartz. "We are most grateful for this generous gift. The chair will provide leadership for research and teaching in the areas of rotating machinery dynamics and diagnostics. It will also help expand and enhance our engineering academic programs and enrich students' learning experience for years to come."