Dean's Office

In reflecting on the 90th anniversary of the engineering (civil, electrical and mechanical) and architecture programs at Howard University, I think that partnership is the key to the vitality and success the College enjoys and the touchstone for its future endeavors.

Without our partners, we would neither have realized so many goals nor have been able to make significant contributions to research and technology ranging from materials science research to power utilization, from engineering design to environmental studies, and from satellite dynamics to manufacturing.

What is the College, and who are our partners? The College of Engineering, Architecture, and Computer Sciences is more than a building housing an academic curriculum, faculty who teach courses and students who take courses, and other people who ensure that these services are provided. The College is a living organism of individuals whose dreams and aspirations fuel our vision and mission. The College extends beyond physical walls and embraces all whose interests and activities are linked to ours. Therefore, the greater our cooperation and our understanding, the greater the satisfaction we will derive from our shared activities.

On behalf of the College, I particularly wish to acknowledge the contribution that our corporate and government sponsors have made to our growth over the past 90 years. Without the faith and trust of our research sponsors, donors and patrons, we could not point to our concrete contributions in terms of sheer numbers of engineering and architecture graduates and the distinction of being the top producer of African American engineers holding PhDs. The College's research has contributed to the honors the University has attained including being named as one of the 100 best national universities by US News and World Report and by its designation as a Doctoral Research/Extensive University by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education, one of 88 in the nation and the only one with a predominantly African American population.

Challenges lie ahead as we strive for greater achievements such as obtaining a new facility and expanding our interdisciplinary centers. But we have the resources and opportunities to spur us on: a capable, distinguished and enthusiastic faculty; an equally enthusiastic and qualified student body; a capable and diligent staff; and a field of alumni across the nation and the world, many of whom hold positions of critical importance, and all of whom can, and many who do, contribute to the College's mission through their financial support and by upholding our mission of ministering to those who are less empowered.

I conclude this message with gratitude, appreciation and admiration for all those who have contributed to the College's mission and growth over the past 90 years: our sponsors, friends, faculty, students, staff and alumni. It is through the diligence, competence, good will, cooperation and hard work of all that we will realize our full potential.

Thank you.

James H. Johnson, Jr.