Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

Communicating our inspirational stories has been the aspiration behind these Friday messages that go out to tens of thousands of alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends of S&T. And the result? Heartwarming responses from alumni who live in all corners of the world: South and Central America, Europe, North and sub-Saharan Africa, India, East Asia, the Middle East, and every state of the union. Alumni who graduated as early as the 1940s and 1950s and as recently as last May. Responses from our faculty and staff, as well as parents, high school teachers, university deans and presidents, and our current and prospective students.

I can say with confidence that perhaps I know more about our university and its history than others, thanks to the informational and educational responses I receive, commemorating the events and the people of yesteryears known only to those who lived them decades ago.

So I say thank you to all who take the time to respond and help me better understand our legacy and, in the process, enhance our most important skill. As those of you who respond know, I reply to every response, and I am encouraged by the feedback loop that has been established and the ensuing dialog that has been fostered.

What began as a way to communicate to our university community and constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a true communication method that has enriched me greatly, and hopefully it has enriched many of you as well. All along, I have established many wonderful connections with our vast constituencies. I am most encouraged when I hear from our prospective students who are excited to start their college careers at S&T, our current students who appreciate reminders about the resources S&T offers, and alumni of all ages and eras who share their memories and appreciate these updates on the status of their alma mater.

As a 1954 physics graduate recalled, there were 1,100 students then and, “Eleven of these were women (1%). We’ve come a long way!”

Another graduate, who earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and is now an attorney, responded to one message to tell me that S&T “taught me to face my difficulties and even failures when I should have succeeded,” adding, “I appreciate the most the courage I got from faculty and the important ability to strategize and to think critically for myself in solving our difficult technology problems when help is often so very remote to us.”

One particularly heartwarming exchange, and true connection, came from a prospective student who wrote to ask me to remind him “exactly what makes S&T my best choice.” My response must have made a difference. He came to me during last week’s MinerRama event to re-introduce himself – I was delighted to see him enrolled!

Writing these weekly emails and responding to your many comments has become a labor of love for me. At times, writing can feel like a solitary act, but the responses I receive remind me that past, present and always, your stories inspire us to achieve.

What is your story to pass down to inspire others? What was this place like when you were here? What can you share about your station in life, S&T or otherwise? What did you do with what you learned, gained and the subsequent future that you created? Where is the storyteller in you?

Afterall, connection is the reason for communication. So, tell me your lore and I will share in hopes of making connection.

Warmly,

-Mo.

Share your thoughts!

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Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu