2023 Letter From the Dean

While it may be a cliché, it’s also often true: Time flies! It’s been three years since I was named dean of the College of Engineering, yet it’s gone by in a flash. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish during this time, but I also feel a sense of urgency to do so much more in service to our students, our campus and our state.

I’m grateful for the visionary leadership of Chancellor Charles Robinson, who hit the ground running after his appointment last fall. In working on a strategic plan for the college, Vision 2035, we have aligned our goals closely with those the chancellor has outlined:

• Initiate lifelong student success.
• Generate transformational and relevant knowledge.
• Become the destination of choice.

In short, our mission is to create an entrepreneurial engineering platform that provides a holistic educational experience and grows the STEM workforce for Arkansas and the world.

For well over a year, we have worked diligently to meet and listen to stakeholders, from the college’s advisory councils and campus leadership to entrepreneurs and industries statewide. They’ve told us in no uncertain terms that we must produce more engineers, computer scientists and data scientists to

supply the highly skilled workforce needed to drive economic growth and fuel innovation.

We continue our efforts to refine Vision 2035, and I look forward to sharing its details with you in the coming months. Please know that we see YOU in this plan, and quite frankly we can’t do it without you!

My best,

Kim LaScola Needy

Dean

College of Engineering