Dean's Newsletter December 2017
Message From The Dean
As students head home for the holidays, it is quieter here on campus, we’ve got our first snow in Moscow, and I have a moment to reflect on the past year. We’ve recognized the accomplishments of two graduating classes this year: one in the spring and the second just this month, where close to 60 graduates joined the Vandal Engineering alumni family. Students like our fall commencement highlight student mechanical engineering graduate Claire Majors, from Kamiah. This past summer Claire traveled to Bolivia as a member of the U of I Humanitarian Engineering Corps, where she helped build and improve a potable water system for the village of Carani. In a recent article featuring her experience Claire says, “Our entire lives revolve around water, and when you don’t have water, life is hard to manage in so many ways. It really is the most basic human need, one of the most important things you can give people.” Claire’s words reminds us all of the importance of what we do as engineers and engineering educators — we work towards bettering the quality of life for all through research, design and innovation.
As I look forward to the New Year I think about the graduates to come, their accomplishments and what impact they will have on our society and world. I am hopeful that the progress we are making in providing new educational opportunities like our Grand Challenges Scholars Program and extra-curricular hands-on experiences like the U of I Humanitarian Engineering Corps allow our students to use their education and passion to find creative solutions to solve big and small problems alike for the betterment of us all.
At this time of year I am reminded of how fortunate we are to have the support of our alumni, faculty, staff and friends — you are all vital to everything we want to accomplish and the impacts we hope to make — we simply we can’t do it without you. Thank you! I want to wish you and your families a happy holiday season and a New Year filled with joy, peace and prosperity. Happy holidays!
Sincerely,
Larry A. Stauffer
Dean, College of Engineering
