Department of Industrial Engineering
4207 Bell Engineering Center
1 University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: (479) 575-3156
Fax: (479) 575-8431
About John L. Imhoff
The Imhoff Legacy
In 1949 plans were announced to offer the Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. At the time, students working on a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Management were given the opportunity to take additional courses to qualify for the new degree. The first students to graduate with the degree graduated in 1950 and 1951.
John L. Imhoff was hired as the first head of the program in 1951. Coming from the industrial engineering option in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota, he had coordinated the program and was keen to see the program at the University of Arkansas succeed.
An engineering educator for more than 50 years, Imhoff thrived on the global impact potential of the industrial engineering discipline. His vision encompassed the undergraduate, graduate and teaching levels.
He believed that global sharing through educational channels would lead to greater cooperation and understanding. He was very committed to students within the classroom and was passionate about professional student organizations as well as faculty involvement within those organizations.
He encouraged students to travel abroad on work/study programs and to take summer jobs abroad; and he encouraged faculty to bring in speakers who had worked abroad to share their experiences.
In 1966, Imhoff was president of the Alpha Pi Mu Industrial Engineering Honor Society, which hosted the national conference at the University of Arkansas. The meetings were attended by outstanding students from APM chapters around the country and featured talks by Dr. Lillian Gilbreth, the acknowledged “mother of industrial engineering.”
John L. Imhoff Chair in Industrial Engineering
The John L. Imhoff Chair in Industrial Engineering was established in 1989 by Dr. Imhoff’s family, friends, former students and colleagues. The chair serves as means to reward faculty members who embody Dr. Imhoff’s passion for global studies and its importance to student growth in the profession, commitment to student success, enthusiasm for teaching and excellence in research.
The inaugural recipient of the John L. Imhoff Chair in Industrial Engineering was Richard Cassady in 2006.
Previous recipients
| 2023-2024 | Xiao Liu |
| 2020-2022 | Kelly Sullivan |
| 2018-2019 | Ashlea Milburn |
| 2016-2017 | Chase Rainwater |
| 2014-2015 | Ed Pohl |
| 2012-2013 | Manuel Rossetti |
| 2010-2011 | Heather Nachtmann |
| 2008-2009 | Ed Pohl |
| 2006-2007 | Richard Cassady |
The John L. Imhoff Global Studies Endowment in the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering
In October of 1996, donors established the John L. and Lois J. Imhoff Charitable Remainder Unitrust to be used for the benefit of the University of Arkansas. Of the various endowments initiated from that donation was the John L. Imhoff Global Studies Endowment in the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering.
The purpose of this endowment was to create the John L. Imhoff Global Studies Scholarship for industrial engineering students engaged in overseas for-credit study and work programs. The first scholarship was awarded in 2005 and is awarded twice annually.
John L. and Lois Imhoff
Dr. Imhoff left a lasting legacy in the Department of Industrial Engineering, from serving as the first department head to the various scholarships and endowments that carry his name. The department continues to exemplify the beliefs he espoused of global sharing, a commitment to student growth and success, and an enthusiasm for teaching and excellence in research.
We are so grateful that we have this shared history of Dr. Imhoff, and we are proud to call him a member of the family of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas.