College of Technology Newsletter

CoT Faculty and Staff Newsletter - September 21, 2010

From the Dean: 'Still much to be done'

Dean Dennis Depew

Dear colleagues,

I hope the beginning of the semester has gone smoothly for each of you. I know that I’m excited about what this year holds for our college.

I am also pleased to announce the relaunch of our faculty and staff e-newsletter to keep you better informed about the happenings across the college. The goal is to inform, educate, encourage and motivate.

This newsletter will not only be a venue for sharing news, events and stories of our personal and professional accomplishments, but also provide updates on the milestones and challenges of the strategic plan and offer insight into college and University administrative decisions.

As you may know, this is my final academic year as the dean of the college; I am returning to the classroom beginning next year. Over the course of two decades, it has truly been a privilege to serve the College of Technology and my colleagues as a graduate instructor, faculty member and department head.

Although I am making this transition, there is still much to be done. My top priority is to keep the college on course for achieving its goals in the 2009-14 Strategic Plan at a time when we must reduce our general fund budget by approximately $1.2 million in the next two years. As you know, the theme of the 2009-14 Strategic Plan is Changing Today, Improving Tomorrow. This theme signifies the primary task ahead of all of us this year.

First, we must remain true to our mission in undertaking work that serves the state, nation and world; the work we do this year in the College of Technology to launch tomorrow’s leaders, to discover and deliver those discoveries, and to meet global challenges should and will contribute to a better tomorrow. Second, at a time when we must cut our general fund budget, we must think carefully and purposefully about how we do this work and how we can do our work as well, if not better, with fewer general fund dollars. The challenge in front of us, then, is to also change our internal operations in a way that saves money, but does not erode our ability to serve our state, nation and world through learning, discovery and engagement.

Please know that I am interested in all good ideas about how to accomplish our strategic goals while cutting our budget. I think the sign of a great college is not that it never faces adversity, but in how it chooses to face adversity.

It has been my privilege to serve what I believe is the greatest College of Technology in the nation. I believe we can and will change today and, in doing so, improve tomorrow.

All the best,

Dean Depew

Faculty Profiles:

Getting to know... Nathan Mentzer

Nathan Mentzer and his family moved to the “big city” of West Lafayette in the fall of 2009. For someone who had previously worked at a small school district of 500 students (K-12) in western Montana, it was a pretty big transition. Lucky for Nathan — a strategic hire in P-12 STEM — he received a lot of support from his colleagues and the community to make the adjustment. “As a first-year person in an existing system, you have to move and adjust. It took time for me to transition into the culture. Going into the second year will be easier,” he says.

Summer months keep CoT folks busy

Summer months are not all vacations and swimming pools. The College of Technology’s faculty, staff and students were also busy with research, international travel and personal achievements. We’ve compiled a sample of what kept your colleagues occupied between spring commencement and the first day of fall classes.

College of Technology research funding reaches all-time high

Sponsored research funding for the Purdue University College of Technology topped $11.6 million in 2009-2010, a total that is four times higher than the previous year and more than double the previous high set in 2007-2008.

The funding is a reflection of the college’s commitment to research overall and to the six signature research areas outlined in its five-year strategic plan: advanced manufacturing, cyberinfrastructure, energy and sustainability, security and forensics, STEM education and technology and life sciences.

Purdue professors to research 'computational cities'

Bedrich Benes, associate professor of computer graphics technology, and Daniel Aliaga, associate professor of computer science, have partnered with two professors at the University of California Berkeley to create what they are calling computational cities.

Richard Hansen and his wife, Joanne, accept the CoT Lifetime Achievement Award from Dean Dennis Depew.

The College of Technology honored Richard W. Hansen with its Lifetime Achievement Award September 9 during a reception at Ross-Ade Pavilion.

“Richard Hansen has exceeded the criteria for this honor,” said Dennis Depew, dean of the College of Technology. “He has left his mark in the electrical manufacturing industry as a leader and mentor and has been a tireless contributor to the aviation industry. He has selflessly given financially and through his time and talents to enhance access to education at all levels.”

Faculty accolades

Congratulations to the many faculty and staff who have been recognized for their work in recent months.

NJROTC camp participants learned about electric vehicles while they helped collect research data about their performance.

It was a busy camp season for the College of Technology. The Office of Diversity hosted six camps for a variety of age groups to spur interest in technology as an academic discipline. The SPIRIT camp, CGT camp and guitar workshops attracted students and participants interested in a specific discipline.

Fall 2010 enrollment

Official enrollment numbers for Purdue and the College of Technology were released last week. The College of Technology has reported a fall enrollment of 3,450 undergraduates at West Lafayette and 1,355 at its Statewide locations. There are also 442 graduate students enrolled at West Lafayette.

New faculty, staff welcomed

During the Dean’s Welcome Forum in August, new employees who have joined the college in the previous 12 months were introduced.

CoT in the headlines

Read the latest news from the College of Technology on the News and Events page of the Web site. Stories focus on faculty and student accomplishments and activities as well as coverage of the college from other sources.

See the most recent headlines.

University information of interest to CoT

Find out more about funding resources, flu shots, and ITaP's new myMail e-mail service.

Share your news

We like to keep track of potential news stories about our faculty, staff and students. We can share this news with your colleagues, the University's news service and alumni.

Upcoming Events:

Jun 13-16: Electric Go-Kart summer camp, College of Technology, South Bend

Jun 20-23: Electric Go-Kart summer camp, College of Technology, South Bend

Jun 27-30: Electric Go-Kart summer camp, College of Technology, South Bend

Jun 30 - Aug 2: STEM Academic Boot Camp.

Jul 11-14: Electric Go-Kart summer camp, College of Technology, South Bend

Sep 13: 10th Annual TechPride Golf Scramble

Visit the College of Technology Web site for more news and information