Letter from the Dean

Dean Pete Nelson

Spring is the season of renewal and new beginnings. Here in Chicago, the winter snows melt away, the sun returns, and new life blooms all around us.

I find my thoughts lingering on this season as the College of Engineering transitions into a new era and I embark on a new journey. After 17 years of serving as the college’s dean, I will step down later this year and return to the computer science faculty. The university is searching nationally for the College of Engineering’s next dean.

We have accomplished a lot together over the last 17 years, including continuous enrollment growth, expanding our world-class faculty, constructing two new campus buildings, increasing research funding, and improving access for under-representative populations.

There are more people to thank than I have room to list in this humble welcome message, but rest assured that I am incredibly grateful for the support, encouragement, and hard work that so many of you have contributed to the college during my time as dean.

I hope to speak and meet with as many of you as possible before stepping down later this year and after returning to the computer science faculty.

In this issue of our RISE Magazine, we look back at how our college has changed and grown over my time as dean, how some of our chemical engineering alums are impacting the world, and how metal 3D printing could make nuclear power safer and more efficient. We also highlight how our undergraduate students are already giving back to the community, a recent multistate partnership to protect the Great Lakes, a new CAREER award among our faculty, and other fantastic research being conducted on campus.

We look forward to a successful end of this academic year and congratulate our May 2024 graduates! Time has passed quickly, and there are things that I wish we had accomplished over the last 17 years, but I look forward to seeing and being a part of the next great chapter in the College of Engineering’s history!