State of the College

Kansas State University
College of Engineering
Fall Convocation Address
September 24, 2007

Moving Forward with Building Blocks for the Legacy Ahead

John R. English, Dean

College of Engineering faculty, staff, students, alumni, advisory council members, and special guests, it is my honor to stand before you on this great campus of Kansas State University. K-State engineering has a rich tradition of excellence, and I am humbled to be your dean of engineering. It is a role that I accept in humility, as I know I am surrounded by smarter, brighter, and more experienced colleagues. As K-State's previous president, Duane Acker, has stated:

"To be a faculty member of a respected university is a noble calling. To be a chosen leader or administrator within the university community is a special calling. It is, at the same time, challenging, exciting, and humbling."

President Wefald has been noted as saying:

"I shall strive for the humility needed to follow those whose minds are quicker, those whose insights are keener, and those whose courage is stauncher than my own."

In 1863, this institution, then called the Kansas State Agricultural College (KSAC), opened. Three years later, Ozni P. Hood came to K-State as the superintendent of shops. It was at that time K-State engineering was born!

In 1897, President Thomas E. Will, who was also an economics professor, was eager to make changes. He reorganized the KSAC into four curriculums: agricultural, engineering, general, and household economics. Even though Will's tenure was only two years (ousted due to the press' label of being a socialist), it was during this time that engineering transformed into a real program with faculty and a department head (Joseph Harper).

Shortly after that in the early 1900s, KU Chancellor Frank Strong attacked KSAC in a 103-page review on its meager entrance requirements and its engineering curriculum. Chancellor Strong believed that KSAC should offer only manual training in the mechanic arts. The design engineers, in his opinion, would come from KU. Members of the Kansas legislature were invited to the Manhattan campus and shown differently. I have to tell you, I admire the Kansas people and their desire to do what is right! This is a great place. Another area state calls itself the "show-me" state; I contend Kansas is the REAL "show-me" state!

In 1908, the first dean of engineering was named: E.B McCormick. Programs began to develop and the Engineering Experiment Station was born. Dean A.A. Potter (named in 1913) brought to us the Division of Engineering. He was born in Russia, and had come to study engineering at MIT. He worked for GE and developed a passion for super-heated steam. He was known to personally place suggestions in the suggestion box. As WWI broke out, he maintained a split appointment with the War Department, and the KSAC engineering programs were expanded to train military personnel.

In 1920, R.A. Seaton, 1904 KSAC graduate, became dean. In this position, he secured a modest pay increase for faculty. He created Engineers Day, which was the forerunner of Open House. The central and west wings of the mechanics arts building (now Seaton Hall) were completed. He was a notorious stickler for rules. As ironic as it seems, he was forced to retire due to the mandatory retirement age and could not smoke on campus due to campus rules.

His tenure was followed by the appointment of M.A. Durland in 1949. As an electrical engineering graduate of the now Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, he amazed people with his excellent memory for names, faces, and important details about each person.

While the 1960s ushered in deans P. Russell and R.G. Nevins, it was in 1973 that D.E. Rathbone, one of the nation's Dean of Deans, was named as the college's leader. During his tenure, architectural engineering and construction science come back to the college. Among many things, Durland Hall phase I was completed, an undesignated Ph.D. program was started, and Durland Hall phase II was completed.

And in 1997, Terry King was named dean. I can attest to the heartfelt appreciation of his service. Within seconds of my candidacy, I realized that if I was fortunate enough to be your next dean, I would have large shoes to fill. Dean King, now Provost King at Ball State, immediately offered his assistance in my new job prospect.

During Dean King's tenure, you saw the Fiedler Hall and Library completed and increasing empowerment of the academic departments. My impression is that the heart of K-State engineering was expanded.

What an amazing list of leaders as a tribute to the history of engineering at K-State.

Now, you are likely squirming and wondering why I am taking you down memory lane. I am not a historian; I am an engineer. Out of my respect to this great institution and you, I wanted to learn about your history. Secondly, and likely most importantly, I think it critical that the legacies of leadership not be forgotten.

You see, I am new to this job. See my hand! My pledge to you is that I will not forget:

Ozni Hood's granting our birthright to engineering
Dean McCormick's pioneering spirit
Dean Potter's passion for engineering and its global impact
Dean Seaton, the champion for students and faculty
Dean Durland's passion to "know" students
Dean Rathbone's tenacious leadership
Dean King's heart

If you could bundle all these qualities together, you would have a perfect dean that matches your traditions. I, obviously, am not that person! The bottom line is that we will not forget these qualities as we move into the future. I will work hard and be passionate about this college and be loyal to K-State. There is nothing but excitement ahead of us. The foundation has been laid, and the future is in our hands.

The transition year of 2006-2007 has been led by your very own Dean Rich Gallagher. This, my friends, is a great person. He and his wife Linda have gone beyond the call of duty. He has personally met with me for hours on end. He is sold out to engineering at K-State. Please join me in thanking Professor Gallagher. Thank you, Rich!

Furthermore, there is another group of people that I would like to thank. Most of us professors and staff members have had the "opportunity" to serve on a search committee or two. Some of us have even been blessed to "get" to serve as the chair. It takes a lot of time, and it is a mission-critical activity. I think it is most appropriate to thank the chair, Prof. Virg Wallentine, and the members of the dean's search committee. Virg, would you and the committee please stand and let us thank you for your tireless service.

Your accomplishments as a college are remarkable. As you can see from the following graphs, K-State engineering is strong and well.

I cannot take credit for these results; but I can join you in being very proud.

The story is not over. As this is a state-of-the-college address, and I acknowledge the excellent health of the college, I think we should look into the future and define our boundaries. I came to you in April as a candidate touting a vision of excellence in scholastic achievements. I attempted to paint a vision of the college as a national leader in engineering 10 years from now by quoting the current vision to be "the best comprehensive engineering college in the United States." We have a mission to—

Have "an educational environment where students can reach their full potential in their chosen discipline and as persons."

Have "a world-class research and scholarly environment where the talents of faculty members and students are developed and used to generate new knowledge and technology for the benefit of society."

Have "an effective outreach program that accelerates the adoption of technology and extends educational opportunities for practicing professionals in Kansas, the nation, and the world."

I claimed in April that this is made possible by building one brick at a time. What are these bricks or building blocks? Over the summer, I have read two very enlightening books:

A University Renaissance: Jon Wefald's Presidency at Kansas State

and

Can State Universities Be Managed?

As you can see, the first book is about our current president, and the second is written by the previous president. Both books, I think, are descriptive of the culture of K-State and define our building blocks that are endorsed by our culture. What are they?

Visionary and Aggressive Leadership

Quoting Tom Peters in the book about President Wefald, "Great leaders wear their passion on their sleeves."

Quoting President Wefald quoting President Richard Nixon, "I have an absolute rule. I refuse to make a decision that somebody else can make. The first rule of leadership is to save yourself for the big decisions."

Quoting President Wefald, "At K-State, our attitude is that we are here to solve problems, not create them. We believe in delegating authority and responsibility to the fullest extent. We believe in the concept of respect and a caring attitude. We have a clear understanding of accountability and expectations of performance. Most importantly, the attitude of my administration is that the faculty does the work of the university."

Empowered Faculty and Staff

Quoting President Wefald, "Expect big things out of yourself. People don't dream big enough. When people say it is impossible, that's when I get excited."

Quoting President Acker, "Focus on mission and goals; charge, reassign, and retrain (use sabbaticals aggressively); hire and charge new staff when opportunity permits; allocate or remove money and/or facilities; commend, recognize, and reward."

Quoting Fusion Leadership from the book about President Wefald, "Consider three stone cutters talking about their jobs. The first stone cutter says, 'I'm cutting stone,' the second says, 'I'm carving a cornerstone,' and the third says, 'I'm building a cathedral.'"

Quoting a construction superintendent from the Acker book, "'If you don't solve the problem today, it will bite you tomorrow.'"

Aspirations of Comprehensive Diversity

Referencing President Wefald, "He wants to create an atmosphere where everyone who comes to K-State will feel at home and will feel that they are respected and valued, and that they are in a place where they can flourish."

Quoting President Wefald, "The secret to an atmosphere of collegiality is to show one another respect, care, and concern."

Quoting Shoop and Scott (1998) from Leadership Lessons from Bill Snyder from the Wefald book, "I think we create a common bond, and through that, we realize these are the things that have to take place. Accordingly, each individual must come to understand their inter-relatedness. Our program brings people together and through that process, they learn about each other's differences and they learn to accept and respect these differences."

Quoting President Acker, "Academic freedom, freedom to speak, and freedom to be heard are hallmarks of a strong university."

Recruiting and Retention of Talent

Quoting Deb Patterson (women's basketball coach in 2000), talking about President Wefald being involved in recruiting her, "It sent a message to me that he cared and was invested in the future of women's basketball at K-State."

Quoting James Coffman (previous provost), "Every person who accepts a leadership position at K-State is expected to know and support Wefald's philosophy of 'hire good people, don't be afraid to hire people smarter that you are, but be sure everyone understands where the general priorities are and what the ground rules are, and that they follow policy and procedure and treat people well.'"

Loyalty, Trust, Honor, and Humor

From the Wefald book, "Loyalty and trust are not things a leader can demand; they are things that people choose to grant to a leader who has earned it."

From the Wefald book, "When a leader uses humor, it can signal to followers that they can in fact handle what they may currently see as being out of control."

Quoting President Wefald, "Find it redeeming when someone can admit their mistake and say they are sorry."

Folks, these are our building blocks:

Visionary and Aggressive Leadership
Empowered Faculty and Staff
Aspirations of Comprehensive Diversity
Recruiting and Retention of Talent
Loyalty, Trust, Honor, and Humor

I believe these are the bricks, the basis, to the legacy we can set before us.

I have just read a very interesting book given to me as I left the University of Arkansas this summer. Denzel Washington has compiled a collection of inspiring essays by very successful people (e.g., Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Eddie Armstrong, Yogi Berra, Jamie Farr, Antwone Fisher, Danny Glover, Whoopi Golberg, President Bill Clinton, President Jimmy Carter, Gen. Wesley Clark, etc.). The common threads of the authors are that they almost exclusively started from very humble beginnings, and they declare the Boys and Girls Clubs of America as critical to their success. In Mr. Washington's book, A Hand to Guide Me, he states:

"Well, that's what we've got here with this collection of good people: ordinary folks, from ordinary beginnings, accomplishing extraordinary things. Whatever it is they set out to do, and however unlikely it might have seemed, they made it happen—with a little bit of help along the way. And with God's blessings."

I believe Mr. Washington is right, and his perspective lines up with my vision of this college. Friends, we are a collection of "ordinary" people accomplishing "extraordinary" outcomes. We have the responsibility of training and educating future engineers. Please join me as we embark upon our future and present the graduates of K-State as the finest engineering graduates in the country!

Thank you.