From the Dean

Dear alumni and friends,

One of the most enjoyable things about my job is the opportunity to meet and work with so many interesting and accomplished alumni of the college. Many of these talented individuals also embody a shared ideal of commitment and service to the community in which we live.

We are fortunate to have many alumni who are actively involved with the college, for it is through our combined efforts that we are able to reach the highest levels of excellence in engineering education and research. Some of the stories we feature in this issue of CUEngineering show the variety of ways alumni can contribute to our mission:

• Talking to students about their professional engineering experince, as aerospace alumnus Jim Hansen did last fall when he presented “Cloudy with a Chance of Pirates”;
• Advising college leadership on how to best manage and guide the institution into the future, as Distinguished Engineering Alumna Nan Joesten has done as a member of the Engineering Advisory Council;
• Supporting the college and its students, such as the creation by computer science alumnus Herb Morreale of the Domino Award to inspire and support students in “setting big things in motion” and the endowed support from Mort and Alice Mortenson for the Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities to help it to flourish in perpetuity; and
• Being proud alumni who bring positive attention to the university and all it does, such as the “legacy alumni” who have made CU a family tradition, generation after generation.

The University of Colorado is in the midst of an ambitious fundraising campaign, Creating Futures, which you also can read about in this issue. I hope you will consider supporting the college in an area that matches your passion. Perhaps one of the department or program features in this issue of CUEngineering will spark your interest in getting involved.

Meanwhile, in recognition and thanks for all you do on behalf of CU, we are working to provide you with these benefits through our alumni relations office:

• Events and publications that keep you engaged with the CU engineering community
• Networking opportunities and career services to support your professional success
• Alumni awards that provide recognition for your career achievements
• A revamped website where you can find alumni relations and other information about the college (www.colorado.edu/engineering)

Please feel free to contact us with your questions and ideas, and I hope to see you at a future event.

Sincerely,

Robert H. Davis, Dean