The beginning of a new calendar year is a natural
time for contemplating the past, celebrating the present, and planning
for the future. During 2005—my first year as dean of the
Institute of Technology—I talked with hundreds of people
about how the college can best serve the University and our citizens
during a time of transformational change.
As many of you know, the University of Minnesota has set the ambitious goal of becoming one of the world's top three public research universities within the next 10 years. We are in the early stages of this systemwide strategic positioning initiative, with 34 task forces currently gathering information and making preliminary recommendations to top University leaders.
In this issue of Inventing Tomorrow you will find evidence to support my contention that the Institute of Technology is one of the University's greatest assets, especially at this critical juncture in its history. The college's strengths—in research, academics, interdisciplinary collaborations, external partnerships, and human resources—place us in an ideal position from which to serve the University's goal and advance the public good.
Many of our alumni reflect the University's past success in their accomplishments today. In “Power Players” we tell the stories of eight Institute of Technology alumni who achieved their goals by thinking big, taking risks, working hard, and solving problems creatively.
The legacy of the past and its impact on the present are also illustrated in “Retrospect.” The article traces the lineage of transportation safety research at the University, from the hands-on experiments by the legendary James “Crash” Ryan during the 1950s to the high-tech, interdisciplinary work now under way at the Center for Transportation Studies.
Today, more than ever before, people expect their public research universities to deliver breakthrough solutions in the sciences and technology. In this issue you will meet some of the college's researchers who are working to meet those expectations.
One article showcases the important research by chemistry professor Thomas Hoye, who is involved in developing a nontoxic synthetic pheromone to control the sea lamprey population in the Great Lakes. Another article highlights recent support from the National Science Foundation for groundbreaking research at the University's Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. You'll also learn about the researchers who are working to understand and predict the dynamic forces of nature in an effort to minimize the impact of natural disasters.
Serving the public good also means that we must do all we can to encourage and prepare more students at all educational levels to pursue careers in science and engineering. A recent grant from the 3M Foundation is helping us launch several outreach programs this year to increase the number and diversity of engineering students in the future. In addition, a gift from Boston Scientific is establishing a fellowship fund in biomedical engineering that will allow us to continue to attract top graduate students.
For those of us in the Institute of Technology, complacency is not an option—especially at a time when the future of our University, the state, and the nation is at stake. As dean, I am committed to using the college's resources in ways that best serve our students, faculty, stakeholders, and the larger community. Your ideas and suggestions will help guide our decisions during this pivotal time.
I care very deeply about this college, which has been part of my life for more than 40 years. With your help, I will do everything I can to ensure its bright future.
