Dean's Message - June 2018

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Dear Alumni and Friends,

At Western, we understand that the next generation of engineers require not only the technical skills of their predecessors, but a broad set of skills, including team and leadership development; communication; ethics and equity; entrepreneurship; and business.

With the adoption of our strategic plan, Achieving Excellence on the World Stage, we have made investments in strategic areas, including delivering research with impact; strengthening the student experience; increasing our community outreach; practicing financial sustainability; and working together for a thriving workplace culture.

Working toward these collective goals contributes to a new way of thinking about engineering education as well as laying the foundation for creating more well-rounded engineers. Our goals also contribute to the advancement of knowledge and engineering practice nationally and internationally.

We are already recognized for providing the best student experience in Canada. Our enrolment has grown substantially in the past few years, driven by a change in focus that recognizes that the classroom is no longer enough and that experiential learning is critical to the development of our students. We have differentiated Western Engineering with links to business and entrepreneurship, and by providing opportunities to develop leadership skills. Thanks to new courses and programs, and increasing exposure to internships and professional engineers, our students benefit from a culture of learning that extends across the entire student experience, from academics to professionals, to experiences with peers from other faculties, in a number of settings, both formal and informal. The launch of the Centre of Engineering Leadership and Innovation will bring together these development opportunities and allow students and faculty to foster innovation and leadership skills.

Looking ahead, construction of the new ThreeC+ (Connect, Collaborate and Create) Engineering building is nearing completion and is set to open in September 2018. The School of Biomedical Engineering, a partnership between Western Engineering, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences and Faculty of Science will include a multi-faculty unit responsible for a new undergraduate BESc program, building on the success of our interdisciplinary graduate program and the M.Eng. Engineering in Medicine program. The BESc in Biomedical Engineering will be offered as a dual degree with existing traditional engineering disciplines to ensure students have the fundamental disciplinary base on which to add biomedical education in biomechanics, biomaterials and computer-aided medical technologies.

Amidst these exciting changes for Western Engineering, I would like to share the news of my appointment as Western’s next Provost & Vice-President (Academic), effective August 1, 2018.

I am proud of, and grateful to, the many faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends who have all contributed to our success at Western Engineering. And this is just the beginning. I am looking forward in my new role to partnering with colleagues across campus to build on the great work of our current provost, Janice Deakin, as well as respond to the changing role and expectations all universities are facing.

Best regards,
Andrew Hrymak
Dean, Western Engineering