 Academic Excellence, Professional Leadership, Engaged Service
Academic Excellence, Professional Leadership, Engaged Service - These are the hallmarks of our Lyles College of Engineering Honors Program and the aspirations of all of us (students and faculty, alike) in our College. Academic Excellence where it is not just getting a passing grade (or even an A) but really doing your BEST! Professional Leadership, where it is not just belonging to a professional organization or a focused activity, it is really taking charge and showing the way: technically, ethically, and properly. Engaged Service, where it is not just putting in your 8 hours a day and going home to relax, but really applying your time, talents and treasure to make a difference in our community.
We end this first year as the Lyles College of Engineering on an upbeat note even as we struggle with fixed enrollment targets and decreasing state budgets. On May 22, 2009 our College hosted over 1,000 guests (graduates, family, friends, staff and faculty) for our Lyles College of Engineering Spring Convocation at the Student Recreation Center. This academic year, 239 Bachelors degrees and 35 Masters degrees were awarded in our College. For our College, Ms Stacy Krahn was named the Dean’s Medalist (undergraduate) and Mr. Timothy Schellenberg was named the Dean’s Medalist (graduate). Several hundred people enjoyed our second annual Projects Day on May 08, 2009 at which 27 different projects ranging from senior design projects to thesis projects to competition projects to interdisciplinary research projects were presented by 81 students (both undergraduate and graduate) and 15 faculty and staff. About 250 people attended our second annual Lyles College of Engineering Spring Banquet, the Starlight Gala on April 17, 2009. At the Banquet, Ms Zaida Reyna was named Staff Member of the Year, Dr. Gregory Kriehn was named Faculty of the Year, Mr. Hernan Muldonado received the Community Service Award, Dr. R. Louis Gysler was presented with the Dean’s Service Award and Thanh Bui was named Student of the Year. In addition, the following community partners were recognized by the programs indicated: CE-Michael Jundt (Assoc Design and Eng); CM-Russell Yemoto (BMY Construction Group); ECE-Bob Berry (DPS Telecom); GME- Ken Meme; and ME-William Arbuckle (Pelco). Finally, a special award of recognition was presented to Dr. Bill Lyles, the Lyles family and the Lyles companies. Dr. Nagy Bengiamin (ECE) was honored in May with the 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award by the Provost. We awarded five more Husband-Boeing (H-B) Honors Scholarships in Spring 2009 (bringing our total to 10 H-B scholars in the College). A group of students from McCabe Middle School in Mendota (one of the middle schools supported by the MESA Schools Program centered in our College for nearly 30 years) won the California state Trebuchet competition and competing nationally in June 2009. Our College had 25 IRA (Instructionally Related Activities) projects funded this past year which allowed students to not only take field trips or attend conferences but also to participate in national competitions such as Steel Bridge (ASCE), Formula SAE (SAE), Human Powered Vehicle (ASME), Baja SAE (SAE), Reno Competition, and Granite Construction Competition, to name a few. Consistent with the spirit of Fresno State as the “Engaged University,” students from our Engineers without Borders (EWB) chapter traveled to Cambodia on an international service project for the second year in a row. In addition, our students also participated in service projects locally through University HOPE, Kaboom and Extreme Makeover, Home Edition-Fresno. Operationally, we hired a new director of VIP, Ms Nell Papavasiliou and we were successful in filling three faculty positions in Construction Management and one faculty position in Electrical Engineering. Our College also boasts three Industry-Faculty Fellows thanks to the generosity and involvement of our community partners: Dr. Gemunu Happawana as the Patton Industry-Faculty Fellow, Mr. Walter Mizuno as the New England Sheet Metal Works Industry Faculty Fellow, and Dr. Rahul Rai as the Pelco Summer Industry Faculty Fellow.
As part of our numerous efforts to “expand the pipeline” of prospective students, this summer the College hosts the annual two-week Science and Engineering Academy (SEA) with nearly 100 middle and junior high school student participating in June 2009. This year marks the inaugural year of Fresno State’s Girls Summer Engineering Experience (Girls’s SEE) scheduled for July 2009. A critical part of “expanding the pipeline” through recruiting and outreach is “stopping the leaks” through retention. Pathways: Lyles College of Engineering Student Services has been a standout for our College in providing a one-stop shop for all student needs!
Eight faculty and staff from our College won University-level “Best in Show” Awards: Ms Lisa Craig, Dr. James Crossfield, Dr. R. Louis Gysler, Dr. Gemunu Happawana, Dr. Yupeng Luo, Dr. Ram Nunna, Ms Karina Ratto, and Mr. Steve Scherer.
In addition to the awards, as part of a University internal messaging campaign called “Best in Show,” we were asked to supply some unique pride points about our College. Please see the following URL for an interesting (but not exhaustive) list of “did you knows” about our College: http://www.csufresno.edu/bestinshow/didyouknow/lyles.shtml
So, in spite of the various gloomy economic developments in the state and the nation that vie for our attention, we call your attention to our Lyles College of Engineering which had a very good year and we look forward to “Designing and Building the Future” in our reinvigorated College!
— Michael Jenkins Dean, Lyles College of Engineering
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