Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

All week this week, representatives from 193 nations gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York City and held the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA81. The goal? To discuss and address cross-border challenges of global status. After all, the UN General Assembly is the only forum on Earth where small or large member nations have a voice and an opportunity to contribute to the UN’s main conviction: “we are safer, stronger and more human when we stand together.”

This year’s theme, “restoring trust, managing transformation,” offers teachable moments for students, educators and all of us who might have interest in learning about how our interconnected and interdependent world works, or how it should. If you missed the livestream conversations, discussions and speeches of the high-level meetings, recordings are available on UN Web TV for viewing, learning, and reflecting. Topics such as Sustainable Development Goals, which succeeded the Millennium Development Goals, are central to many of our technical and engineering educational programs regardless of root causes of such phenomena.

Here at S&T, as the demand for environmentally focused engineering education rises, our faculty and research centers respond. We established Missouri’s first environmental engineering degree program two decades ago. More recently, a bachelor’s degree in environmental science was established to address the growing interest. Other programs, including civil engineering, electrical engineering, geology and geophysics, geological engineering, and mining engineering, offer specialized degrees related to sustainability.

Our Kummer Institute Center for Resource Sustainability is focused on “sustainability research to strengthen collaboration between academic institutions and industry partners. These partnerships bridge the gap between fundamental science and practical application, enabling the development of greener chemical processes, cleaner energy systems and more efficient use of resources. By working together, researchers and industry can identify real-world challenges and co-develop scalable solutions that promote more environmentally sustainable practices.” Regardless of the energy source, solution-inspired research and application-focused development help promote “resource sustainability by enabling cleaner, more efficient methods for material production, transformation and recovery.”

Another world-level topic of discussion this past week was a high-level debate focused on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Again, regardless of disagreements about the root causes of devastating pandemics like Covid-19, the ongoing Ebola outbreak or the spread of rubeola (measles) in the U.S., it behooves us all to learn, prepare and respond appropriately to these unwanted, unintended diseases.

Aside from natural or manmade environmental or economic challenges such as threats posed by sea level rises or cross-national trade limitations, technology advancement concerns were highlighted, discussed and debated. Topics such as AI and potential threats of its real or perceived uncontrolled development, or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction were subjects of UNGA81’s “high-level” meetings. These are sobering, but nonetheless enlightening, conversations that offer any audience, especially students, the opportunity to learn and appreciate global perspectives, regardless of one’s convictions or beliefs. These conversations can be fraught with many points of contention stemming from regional concerns or open-ended philosophical pursuits, or even closed ideological beliefs.

World leader speeches and all the ensuing debates offer powerful opportunities for our students, faculty and staff alike to learn and appreciate the challenges of diplomacy in action. Our community here at the university is a microcosm of the gathering of global leaders from different countries, cultures and perspectives coming together to address challenges that no one country or even continent can tackle alone.

While the United Nations brings nations together in New York this week, we have our own global teachable moment right here in Rolla. Tomorrow’s Celebration of Nations continues a longstanding tradition of bringing our campus and community together to share our cultures and learn from one another. I encourage you to join us, share your traditions and take time to learn about others.

To our students, our future leaders, I say take advantage of these global teachable moments, at the UN General Assembly and here in Rolla, to enhance your awareness, sharpen your negotiation skills and deepen your teamwork sensibilities.
Warmly, 

-Mo.

Share your thoughts!

Read previous Friday morning messages.

Check out the latest news from S&T:

• U.S. News again ranks Missouri S&T as state’s top public engineering school
• Missouri S&T to highlight student success on Kummer Day
• ‘Get Your Global Kicks on Route 66’ at Celebration of Nations

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

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