The University of Virginia’s rise to preeminence in the last decade has reflected the excellence of its liberal arts and professional programs. There is a growing consensus around Grounds that if U.Va. is to continue on this path, it must achieve equal eminence in science and engineering.

You don’t have to go far to understand the reasons for this. Advances in technology will be absolutely essential if we are to confront the extraordinarily complex challenges of our age—the care of an aging population, the threat of environmental disaster, the constant vigilance required for global security, the need to maintain our economic vitality in the face of new competitors.

Our ability to respond successfully to these challenges will require leaders who are highly educated in science and engineering and who can deploy a range of powerful technologies.

This situation creates an extraordinary opportunity for the Engineering School. It is now up to us to attain an unprecedented level of excellence in our educational and research programs, while retaining the distinctive character of the School’s historic mission.

This is a complex and, quite frankly, costly undertaking. First and foremost, it will require significant investment in people. We must be able to compete for National Academy-level faculty who can instantly put our programs on the map. We must be able to secure highly regarded young faculty and nurture their careers in the Engineering School. And we must be able to attract bright young graduate students who otherwise might go to MIT, Duke or Caltech.

It will also require an investment in equipment, facilities and infrastructure. Cutting-edge research requires cutting-edge equipment. A typical start-up package for new faculty runs $500,000 or more, and the price tag on equipment such as a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscope can exceed $1 million.

Finally, this initiative also will require us to rethink and expand our educational mission. We must address the needs of our undergraduates for internships and other programs that prepare them to succeed in a global engineering environment. We must also step forward to promote technological literacy throughout the University, ensuring that students in Arts & Sciences are as broadly educated in technology as our engineering students are in the humanities.

This is an undertaking that is ambitious and necessary. It is also an exciting opportunity for those who know and love the Engineering School. With your support through our capital campaign, we will transform SEAS, building on our strengths to provide the leadership and the knowledge that’s so important to the long-term wellbeing of the University and of society at large.

JAMES H. AYLOR
Louis T. Rader Professor
Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science