What does the campaign mean to ECE alumni?
A message from Bob Borel, ECE Campaign Committee Chair
We all remember and appreciate those fall Saturdays at the Shoe, the vibrant campus activity and, yes, those long hours studying for finals! For me the real value of those years was the breadth and depth of an engineering education that provided a sound basis for both a professional and personal life as a proud alumnus.
When I return to campus, I see young adults preparing for a similar path, but with greater challenges. Tuition and living costs are higher, stronger curriculums focus more on technology in the limited available course time, and experienced faculty are retiring at an accelerated pace.
ECE alumni can and should help the university and today’s students address these significant challenges. The ECE campaign is part of the university’s “But For Ohio State” campaign, and our priorities are the same: Place students first, elevate faculty and the academic enterprise, create modern learning environments, embolden the research agenda, and drive high-impact innovation.
Under this broad umbrella of priorities, the ECE Campaign Committee (right) is focusing on organizing to meet some specific critical needs. Scholarship funding is critical to help students finance their educations while minimizing debt and outside work.
We are assisting the university development team and ECE department in networking with our broad alumni base to recruit and fund internationally renowned faculty and graduate students, which will enhance students’ total educational experience.
The committee is fostering the development of more inter-disciplinary initiatives with medicine, business, and other appropriate disciplines that are driving new technologies in the world marketplace. This will broaden the exposure to real world demands requiring multiple skill sets for students and faculty.
Over the next year, the ECE Committee will host regional alumni events in major cities around the U.S., where you will be able to network with other alumni and learn more about these initiatives. For more information or comment, contact me at ececampaign@earthlink.net or Kathleen Coen, director of development, at coen.40@osu.edu.
Best regards, and I hope to see you at one of our events!
Bob Borel
ECE Campaign Committee Chair