The Dr. Jan Roskam Faculty Opportunity Fund

Supporting recruitment and retention of top faculty in Aerospace

The impact and influence that Dr. Jan Roskam has had on theory and practice in airplane and configuration design, on the promotion of the field through his research and service, and on education and mentoring, is profound. With this history in mind,  

the Dr. Jan Roskam Faculty Opportunity Fund has been established to honor him. 

The Dr. Jan Roskam Faculty Opportunity Fund

Outstanding faculty members are key to enhancing KU’s profile as a leader in aerospace research and teaching. As recognized experts in their fields, these professors pioneer discoveries that change our world and inspire students to achieve excellence as 

our next generation of innovators.

The Dr. Jan Roskam Faculty Opportunity Fund is an endowment that will strengthen the university’s ability to attract and retain luminary adjunct or full-time faculty members into KU’s Aerospace Engineering Department. The first fund of its kind for the department, this endowment will supplement salaries and provide support for professional development, research, teaching materials, graduate assistants, and other activities that advance the educational and research mission of the department. Just as Jan did for generations of KU students, the fund in his name will inspire and foster our future leaders in the aerospace industry.

Jan Roskam’s accomplishments are so many and so influential. Highlights include: 

  • He has been actively involved in the design and development of the following aircraft: Aviolanda AT 21, Cessna T-37, Boeing TFX design, Boeing SST design, Learjet Models 25, 35/36 and 55, Cessna Citation I, SIAI Marchetti S-211 and Piaggio180-Avanti. Jan managed the low speed and transonic speed windtunnel programs for the SIAI Marchetti S-211 and Piaggio 180-Avanti.
  • 1954 –1957: Assistant Chief Designer, Aviolanda Aircraft Company, The Netherlands
  • 1957–1959: Preliminary Design Engineer and Senior Aerodynamics Engineer, Cessna Aircraft Company, Wichita, KS
  • 1959–1967: Senior Group Engineer, The Boeing Company, Wichita, KS and
  • Seattle, WA
  • 1967–1974: Professor of Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas
  • 1974–2003: Dean E. Ackers Distinguished Professor in Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas.
  • He is the author of a two-volume text called: Airplane Flight Dynamics and Automatic Flight Controls and an eight volume text called: Airplane Design. He has co-authored (with Dr. C. Edward Lan) a text called: Airplane Aerodynamics and Performance. These texts are used by more than 50 universities and by aerospace companies in the USA and abroad. In addition, he has authored or co-authored more than 150 journal and conference papers and technical reports.
  • Jan is a Fellow in the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) and a Fellow in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers).
  • The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics presented him with the AIAA Aircraft Design Award in 2007. The award was to recognize his lifetime contribution to the fields of airplane and configuration design and education.
  • Jan founded the Design, Analysis and Research Corporation (DARcorporation)

    in 1991 and served as the company’s president until 2004. Before founding DARcorporation, he was a consultant to companies in the USA and in Europe and also served as a consultant to NASA, USAF and DARPA.
  • The University of Kansas Continuing Education Aerospace Short Course Program, one of the most respected non-credit professional development programs in the aerospace industries worldwide, was started by Jan.
  • And of course, Jan has educated — mentoring and supervising undergraduate and graduate students who have gone onto distinguished careers in industry and academia — and has influenced the thinking of many leaders in the profession.

Join Us to Make a Difference

Jan Roskam has been a remarkable leader in airplane and configuration design and more broadly, in the industry. The Dr. Jan Roskam Faculty Opportunity Fund recognizes and honors Jan’s many contributions by providing support to faculty who will shape future generations of professionals. We hope that you will join in honoring Jan and, at the same time, contributing to the future of the discipline to which he has devoted his professional life.

Please partner with us to honor Jan. One-time gifts can be made online by visiting: ku endowment. Multi-year pledges or estate gifts in his honor can be made by contacting Molly Paugh, Development Director at KU Endowment, 785-832-7319 or mpaugh@kuendowment.org. Increase the impact of your gift by directing your company’s matching gift benefit to the Jan Roskam fund. Please check with your employer to see how they match employee and retiree philanthropic giving.

Thank You

The KU School of Engineering is grateful for your consideration of a generous gift to enable Jayhawk aerospace engineers to excel for generations to come. All gifts are tax-deductible and will count toward Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas, which seeks support to educate future leaders, advance medicine, accelerate discovery and drive economic growth to seize the opportunities of the future. 

KU Endowment

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization 

for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.