Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

This week our campus was abuzz with well-dressed, excited, career-focused young women and men, and for a good reason. Hundreds of national and international companies came to campus to recruit our students, ranging from freshmen to graduating seniors to doctoral candidates to postdoctoral fellows. Our annual Career Fair on campus, organized by S&T’s department of career opportunities and employer relations (COER), broke all records once again. We had a record number of employers registered to be on campus to interview students for employment, co-op and internship opportunities.

Witnessing the flurry of activities and focusing on some of the data, I thought no wonder S&T is ranked by the Wall Street Journal as the top public university in the nation for “salary impact” and seventh overall among national public universities. Matching the Wall Street Journal’s assessment, The New York Times published an online tool last March that identified Missouri S&T as one of the country’s top 10 “high value institutions.”

Further, S&T is ranked third in the nation for career placement. In another national ranking that ranks universities based on data such as starting salary, tuition, living expenses, student retention rate and scholarships awarded, S&T is ranked sixth in the nation and first in the state of Missouri. More specifically, we are ranked as No. 5 for engineering majors in the U.S. and one of the nation’s top universities, based on quality, affordability and outcomes.

Way above rankings and returns, security of employment, job satisfaction and the usual but important monetary advantages that await college graduates, a college education, and particularly an S&T education, offers unparalleled opportunities. It offers a sense of purpose, a sense of walking into light and an overarching reason for increasing potential to meet grander opportunities. As I walked around the recruiting tables and spoke with our students and recruiters alike, I sensed not only the promise of the future, but also the energy of the moment. They were planning for the future, and at the same time, savoring the moment. Nearsighted or farsighted, they seemed to have 20/20 vision, and for that I was proud.

As I watched the faces, heard the conversations and witnessed the interactions, I felt their sense of purpose. I was proud and in fact became emotional about this wonderful institution that has changed lives for generations and has produced remarkable possibility thinkers and rainmakers.

To our students, I say thank you for believing in yourself, for trusting us with your future, for exceeding expectations and meeting your potential. To our faculty and staff, I say thank you for your hard work to prepare enlightened, productive graduates who are ready to meet the needs of our economy and society. To our recruiting companies, I say thank you for coming to our home, for breaking all records and for offering opportunities.

Warmly,

-Mo.

Share your thoughts!

Check out the latest news from S&T:

• S&T to break ground on Missouri Protoplex
• Forged in Gold now an e-book
• New Curators’ Professors: Baojun Bai, Irina Ivliyeva, Jagannathan Sarangapani

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

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