This issue of Engineering Outlook draws attention to the challenges that we face in attracting some excellent students to engineering at the University of Illinois. We know that a group of intelligent, motivated men and women of many different backgrounds and experiences makes an ideal engineering team. These individuals will see the world through different eyes and bring unique perspectives to the engineering task at hand. Their diversity will yield a diversity of solutions, which ultimately leads to the best solution.

The engineering profession must appeal to men and women of all races if we are to draw the talent we need to engineering. How can engineering remain the highly valued profession that it is today if it does not appeal to all types of people? Other professions, such as law and business, are siphoning off a disproportionate share of talent among women and minorities. If we lose the recruiting advantage for that talent, our engineering profession will suffer.

What makes diversity especially important today is the changing nature of our society and the globalization of commerce. The ethnic composition of our country is changing, and engineers must be able to relate to these changes. They must be able to think of products and services that will address the needs of an increasingly diverse society.

The globalization of business places added emphasis on the need for diversity among engineers. Increasingly, products are marketed globally and engineering work is outsourced to other countries. Today’s engineers must understand a wide range of needs and perspectives to find solutions that work globally. Large corporations value those engineers who can bring a broad view to their problem-solving teams.

I hope that you enjoy learning more about our diversity programs. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

David E. Daniel
Dean, College of Engineering