Dear Colleagues,
Can you believe it? Today is the first day of fall classes! I hope you have had a restful summer and are gearing up for what promises to be a very busy and exciting academic year. A hearty welcome to our new faculty and staff!
I am certain you have noticed that our college has experienced unprecedented growth in the past few years. We won’t have official enrollment numbers for a little while, but all indications are that every program continues to grow. We also see our first class of electrical engineering students at WSU North Puget Sound at Everett this year. This is really an exciting time as we see our influence grow around the state, region, and nation.
BIG NEWS – Our college was renamed last spring, and we are now the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture (VCEA). We so appreciate, and have greatly benefited from, the longtime support from Gene and Linda Voiland. The Voilands have been involved in this college for many years and truly exemplify excellence in all they do. Like the Voilands, we are truly passionate about demanding excellence in the Voiland College. We are honored to carry their name, and we’re proud that our supportive and engaged community provides students with the opportunity to be incredibly successful, as the Voilands have been. You are invited to help us celebrate on Sept. 18 starting at 5:30 p.m. on the Carpenter Hall lawn.
The college renaming also gives us a great opportunity to focus our message and our strategic thinking as we move into the future. During the summer, we have been working to build our brand messages, clarify our strengths and build our reputation. Our strategic planning committee is also continuing with their work to set goals for the VCEA and to develop an implementation plan. You will be seeing a draft of the plan early this fall and will have an opportunity for comments and discussion.
As you know, our Palouse location allows us to offer a unique learning community that provides more hands-on learning and interaction for our students. Our students have opportunities to participate in valuable, real-world engineering and design experiences, such as industry internships, student clubs, or research with world-class faculty. Our graduates are well-known for being work ready, day one.
Having all design and engineering disciplines within this college also makes us unique in the country and provides special opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. No other college in the country includes architecture, construction management, computer science, and engineering under one roof. We have seen really successful collaborations in such a unique atmosphere, and we continue to work to build a truly interdisciplinary spirit.
At the same time, honoring our land-grant heritage, we are conducting leading-edge research that has real and quantifiable industry and community impacts. We are truly helping to build the prosperity and economic vitality of our state and nation.
Finally, please join me as we welcome students back to campus Wednesday, August 27 from 3-5 pm for our annual, VCEA Ice Cream Social, featuring Ferdinand’s ice cream, and toppings provided by various VCEA organizations and student clubs. At 4:15 pm during this fun event, we will be taking an all-college photo on the Spokane Street pedestrian bridge. Everyone (or the first 3000!) that shows up for the photo gets a free Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture t-shirt!
Thank you for all of your efforts to make the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture one of the great colleges in the country.
Go Cougs!
Candis Claiborn, Professor and Dean