February 2003,
Dear Engineering Students,
Among all professions, engineers are the most responsible for continually elevating the living standard. Although engineers have been quite successful in their work, they are often taken for granted by the public. National Engineers Week is an occasion to remind everyone of the indispensable contributions engineers make to everyone's lives, especially in our growing technological society.
This technological society is in transition-a transition in which engineers will play a strong pivotal role. For the last 150 years, society has moved forward through mechanical/structural investments that amplified productivity. With the information age, there is little doubt that intellectual investment of individuals will further dominate the growth of our society. The recent past has demonstrated that one individual's intellectual capacityin technology can alter the path of society through explosive developments of entirely new industries and change how most of us live.
As students at UIC, there are exceptional educational opportunities to develop your technical capabilities, critical evaluation skills, and cultural awareness of the society in which we live. Engineers must become more involved in tempering the technical aspects of our world with a broader social conscience and concern for our fellow citizens. One of the truest definitions of engineering was given by Thomas Jefferson: "The ultimate goal of both science and engineering is the improvement of human society." We are in an age in which technology has enabled society to live in a manner unimaginable to those who lived as recently as three decades ago. Technology is also developing in the world at large. The rapidly expanding pace promises more achievements. However we must be careful to avoid both technological and socially undesirable effects. Furthermore, we must ensure impact upon the broadest segment of society, to elevate it rather than stratify it. Without integrating technology and our cultural backgrounds, potentially only a decreasing percentage of society will benefit and/or other segments will be adversely affected.
It is the challenge of engineers to take technology beyond the workplace and ensure its contribution to society. If this is not done, drastic changes will occur. We cannot change the past, but we do create the future.
The College of Engineering has encouraged increased participation in activities that enhance the basic curriculum. The goal is to provide additional avenues for developing one's talents. This is done through such mechanisms as the professional societies' inter-university competitions, undergraduate research participation, involvement in student sections of the professional societies, and being in active in the College's orientation and recruitment programs. All these activities enhance group efforts, communication skills, technical depth, and social awareness that will make you more productive engineers and members of society.
During National Engineers Week I am sure that you will take the opportunity to make friends and acquaintances more aware of the impact of your profession.
Yours truly,
Larry A. Kennedy
Dean and Professor UIC