People blog for a variety of reasons, and mine is relatively simple: I see this blog as one more opportunity, among the many I have each day, to make a connection with someone. With students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the engineering college. With prospective students and their families. With Iowans. And with anyone who is simply interested in engineering or higher education in the United States.
To accomplish that, I will regularly share my thoughts on the college and on current events, offer my research expertise, and give you an anecdotal glimpse into my life and work as a dean.
The choice of our online alumni publication as a home for this blog is a deliberate one. The college is increasingly moving to electronic publications. It’s clear by looking at the newspaper, magazine, and textbook industries that communication through the web, video, social media, and apps will only grow in importance. I want this domain of cyberspace to become a place that you visit from time to time to see not only a bit of “what’s new” in the college, but also to increase your appreciation, as I do everyday, of just what makes the engineering profession so special.