ɫɫӰԺ had a busy year in 2017 between new leadership appointments, grants to improve the Chemical Engineering program and recognition of the University’s successful co-operative education program, among many other acknowledgements.
Here’s a summary of ɫɫӰԺ campus news over the course of 2017:
ɫɫӰԺ ranked first in the country in a Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education College Rankings survey asking students how well their colleges and universities prepare them for careers.
PayScale’s 2017 ‘College ROI Report: Best Value Colleges’ ranks Kettering 19th in the country in Return on Investment and first in Michigan and first in the Midwest. On average, ɫɫӰԺ graduates see a 20-year return on investment of $743,000, according to new data released by PayScale.com.
On top of that, ɫɫӰԺ was ranked 14th nationally among non-Ph.D. granting engineering programs in the annual U.S. News and World Report ‘Best Colleges’ edition, released on September 12.
University officials were happy to announce that the Delphi/Electronic Division received the 2017 Charles F. Kettering Award for distinguished service and leadership as an employer in the field of cooperative education and internships. The award was presented at the Cooperative Education and Internship Association conference in Denver.
Dr. Christine Wallace, vice president for Kettering Global Campus, received the 2017 Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award from the Michigan ACE (MI-ACE) Women’s Network. The award is presented annually and is the highest honor of the MI-ACE Network.
And Donald G. Rockwell, ɫɫӰԺ Counsel, was recently elected president of the State Bar of Michigan for the 2017-2018 bar year. Rockwell was e sworn in as the 83rd president of the more than 45,000-member organization on Thursday, Sept. 28, during its annual meeting known as the SBM NEXT Conference at Cobo Center in Detroit.
The achievements of Kettering also include partnerships with corporations in order to make the student programs successful. This year, the Bosch Fellowship was established with a $500,000 endowment from the Bosch Community Fund to support annual fellowships for academically talented ɫɫӰԺ students. Nathanael Ford '22 has been named the first recipient.
Thanks to a generous donation from the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation, students at ɫɫӰԺ will see a boost in Chemical Engineering lab space. The Strosacker Foundation awarded Kettering $210,000 to remodel an old acoustics lab into a Chemical Engineering research/lab space for undergraduate students.
This year the Dart Foundation awarded ɫɫӰԺ $177,000 to purchase plastics equipment to enhance educational and research opportunities for faculty and students on campus. The grant will spur the acquisition of a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), thermomechanical analyzer (TMA) and a rheometer system. This equipment will be used to develop new courses and student research experience that complement modern industry demands.
STEM pre-college education and FIRST Robotics at Kettering saw a lot of support in 2017, as well. Thanks to a $40,000 grant from the General Motors Foundation, Kettering started offering robotics and STEM day camps to students at Durant Tuuri Mott (DTM) this fall.
Ford Motor Company partnered with ɫɫӰԺ to sponsor the back-to-back FIRST Robotics district competition in March. Ford also partnered with Kettering to launch a Flint Schools Summer Camp this year.
ɫɫӰԺ's Metal Muscle FIRST Robotics Team 1506 partnered with the Genesee County Sheriff's Department to help them get some robots up and working at the FIRST Robotics Community Center.
ɫɫӰԺ President Robert McMahan discussed robotics education at a TechCrunch panel at MIT this year.
The University had many new things happen in 2017. The ɫɫӰԺ Archives moved to GM’s Durant-Dort Factory One building near downtown Flint. GM acquired the building in 2013 and recently completed a major historic renovation, converting the building into a state-of-the-art automotive research center and community event space, which now includes the ɫɫӰԺ Archives.
The Special Collections and University Archives at ɫɫӰԺ was established in 1974 largely through the vision and research interests of one Richard P. Scharchburg and members of the university’s Alumni Foundation.
ɫɫӰԺ was one of eight universities around the world selected to participate in the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) AutoDrive™ Challenge – an international autonomous vehicle competition. This newly established, three-year competition will task faculty and students at some of the world’s top universities with developing and demonstrating a fully operational autonomous driving passenger vehicle.
The AutoDrive Challenge and the opportunity to work on autonomous technology was one reason Lindsey Malson ‘22 decided to come to Kettering.
Continuing a focus on autonomous technology ɫɫӰԺ joined an esteemed multi-state consortium of universities, government agencies and advocacy groups to form the Smart Belt Coalition (SBC). The SBC is a collaboration that aims to help shape and inform the ongoing development of connected and automated vehicles.
Throughout the year, the University saw a few new faces to leadership positions. Kettering named Dr. Laura Vosejpka as the founding Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts and Professor of the Practice in the Department of Chemistry. In her new role at Kettering, Vosejpka will oversee the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Science, Liberal Studies, Mathematics and Physics.
Dr. Scott Grasman was named department head of the ɫɫӰԺ Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. Grasman previously spent six years as professor and department head of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
ɫɫӰԺ established an English as Second Language Program. Kevin Fedewa, Director of Kettering’s ESL program, came to the University in July 2016 to launch the program.
And Laura M. Allen was appointed as Director of the Office of International Programs. Previous to her new role, Allen has served as an International Student Coordinator at Kettering since 2016.
This year Kettering hosted its 109th Commencement Ceremony on June 17, awarding degrees to 331 graduates.
Sonia Syngal ‘93, Global President and CEO for Old Navy, delivered the ɫɫӰԺ Commencement Address.
Congrats to all the graduates recognized as recipients of prestigious President’s Medal, Sobey Scholar and Leaders Fellow awards this year.