Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

History suggests that, all other things being equal, innovative organizations prosper disproportionately when identifying and addressing pervasive societal needs. Universities are no exception. In fact, here at S&T, for over 150 years we have been shaped by the world that we have helped shape in a predictive manner. Along our long and productive journey, our foresightful faculty, staff, students and alumni have made pivotal defining decisions for our university. From our early years as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (MSM) through our years as the University of Missouri-Rolla, to the present day as Missouri University of Science and Technology, our S&T community has focused its passion for problem-solving and innovation to provide critical contributions to critical challenges.

Along the way, in parallel to our evolutionary steady growth, we have taken significant organizational steps to better attract and train the workforce of the future. In a defining moment in 1870, and as part of the land-grant movement, Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy was established as the first technological institution west of the Mississippi River. Our formation was in response to the acute need for scientific education in Missouri and the United States. Changes in the mining industry, the invention of dynamite in 1866, and industries’ dependence on minerals highlighted the need for mining and metallurgical engineering. Half a century later, in the 1920s, in another defining moment, civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering as well as chemistry, mathematics, physics and geology, were added to respond to new workforce demands.

The 1950s ushered in more attention for research and graduate studies as the United States emerged from World War II as an economic and scientific leader. In parallel, our foresightful leaders decided to add humanities and liberal arts to our full slate of engineering and science programs, thus necessitating the switch from school to university as the campus continued to respond to the global competitive landscape. Recognizing its expanded role, MSM became the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) in 1964.

Finally, in 2008, UMR became Missouri University of Science and Technology, or Missouri S&T, not only to once again highlight our deep roots in scientific education, but also to pave the way for our future – continuing to lead the way in groundbreaking science and technology, in addressing industry and workforce needs, and to turn academic breakthroughs into real-world solutions.

It is exciting to realize that here at S&T, we’ve reached another defining moment to channel our zest for technological innovation by engaging engineering minds in addressing delivery of health care. As we forge this new path ahead, we will use stepping stones from the groundbreaking and life-changing discoveries of our past. In the 1920s, Dr. Ida Bengtson studied trachoma, a disease that causes blindness. She co-created the typhus vaccine and tests used for the detection of typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever – tests that are still in use today. It is remarkable to know that over 120 years ago, Dr. Bengtson established her lab in the same building that houses my office today!

Dr. Delbert Day worked with bioactive glasses in the 1980s for cancer treatment and wound therapy and founded Mo-Sci Corporation. Biomedical research continued over subsequent decades but was never strategically prioritized … until now.

I am delighted to report that internal approvals are underway for a $200 million medical engineering and life sciences initiative, starting with a 120,000-square-foot complex dedicated to bio-related programs. The initiative leverages S&T’s engineering education expertise beyond the traditional limitations, expanding a path started many years ago and creating academic programs and research opportunities in bio-related areas. New degree offerings at S&T include a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, a Ph.D. in bioengineering and a Ph.D. in biological sciences. These three programs launched this fall.

Major undertakings like our bio-initiative may seem challenging at the time, but they are crucial over time if we are to adapt and adjust to the needs of the world we have helped shape. Our funded health-related research is skyrocketing. In the past five years, our research funding awards from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services have increased 15-fold. In terms of interest from first-year students, biological sciences is the third most popular major, following computer science and mechanical engineering.

In my mind’s eye, I see a future when we all look back and ask, “How did we get to here from there?” The answer is: only because we resorted to our best strategic decisions and capitalized on our defining moments.

Warmly,

-Mo.

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Read previous Friday morning messages.

Check out the latest news from S&T:

• Missouri S&T to honor alumni and faculty during Homecoming
• Add your name at beam-signing ceremony for Welcome Center
• Tschumper named Castleman professor, Sobrado named Vitek chair

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

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