Winter 2004

As President of The University of Texas at Austin, I take every opportunity  to brag about our College of Engineering. But there’s an old Texas saying: “it ain’t bragging if it’s true.”

 The College of Engineering is ranked among the top ten engineering schools in the nation (out of more than 300 schools) and in the top five among public universities. Furthermore, all departments in the college are ranked in the top ten, except our new Biomedical Engineering Department, which will make an impact on the rankings in the very near future.

 UT Austin has long been a center for education and research in the technology and knowledge-based industries, conferring more doctoral degrees than any other university in the United States. In science and engineering doctoral degrees  conferred, UT ranks seventh in the nation and first in Texas. For decades our talented graduates have set the standard of excellence in the state’s energy industry and more recently have provided vision and leadership in the new Texas economy of high technology. Research by our faculty and students in the College of Engineering continues to create advances in the increasingly complex fields of health, transportation, the environment, and other areas that concern not only Texas, but our global neighbors as well.

 I come from a family of engineers, and although I made my career in chemistry,  I’ve always had great respect for the imagination and creativity that engineers bring to their work for the benefit of us all. Alumni of UT’s College of Engineering have been spectacularly successful in industry and government and in countless other contributions to our society. This publication will profile faculty and alumni who serve in government and/or academia, who have started their own companies, or who have succeeded in remarkable ways. I hope you will see a reflection of your own success in the stories highlighted here.   

 Of the College of Engineering’s many praiseworthy qualities, I am particularly impressed with the generosity of engineering alumni in supporting their school.  Without question, the endowments and annual gifts that alumni have provided over the years account for the success the College of Engineering has had in recruiting the best faculty and students. The reputation of a college is determined by the achievements of those faculty and students, and our alumni play a critical role in making their success possible.

 Thank you for continuing to support a new generation of engineers at UT Austin. I take great pride in your accomplishments and share them every opportunity I can.

Dr. Larry Faulkner, President

The University of Texas at Austin