Alumni Involvement
Message from the Dean
Dear Alumni,
Thank you for your valuable involvement with the College of Engineering. In interacting with many of you, I have felt your affection for your alma mater. Several of you have expressed a desire to help recruit the next generation of engineering students and to encourage and mentor students currently in our program. The best schools have close connections with their alumni, and we are endeavoring to make the University of Utah College of Engineering one of the best. As our alumni, you are a great resource for the College. If you have not visited campus lately, I invite you to come by and let us show you some of our newest developments. I think you will be pleased. Further, the information in this brochure offers some ideas about how you can increase your involvement with us.
Thank you again for your great support!
Richard B. Brown
Dean of Engineering
The University of Utah
Ways to reach out with the College of Engineering
- Get Involved
- K-12 Engineering Presentations
- On Campus Programs
- Contact Your Child's School
- Support Current Engineering Students
- Host Students at Your Workplace
- Career Days
- Tutoring & Mentoring
- Judging Science Fairs
- Utah Scholars Program
- Adopt a School
- Spread the Word!
- Contact Us
- Sign Up Online
Get Involved
The College of Engineering at the University of Utah is working to give back to the community and we ask for your help. There are a number of ways we are seeking to get Utah's students excited about engineering. To volunteer to help, please fill out the online form. Please note that we hold trainings for engineering presentations, as well as provide staff support to help you with the programs you choose to be involved in. Thank you again for volunteering. Go Engineering!
K-12 Engineering Presentations
Share your story with K-12 students. We are working with the Utah State Office of Education to create curriculum-based presentations that are designed to get students excited about science, math, and engineering. These presentations are available to K-12 classrooms across the state. From our schedule of available schools and dates, you choose the school and age group. Each presentation takes approximately 35-45 minutes. Training for presentations will be held on February 2nd and 9th, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Please e-mail Jeff Bates (jeff.bates@utah.edu) to reserve your place. Let us know what age group you're interested in.
Commitment: We ask that you agree to one or two presentations per year-but more are encouraged.
On Campus Programs
We host a number of on-campus programs for recruitment and outreach purposes. We need volunteers to help with Elementary Engineering Week (March), MESA Days (a program for underrepresented students in engineering - February and March), Hi-GEAR girls camp (June), College of Engineering Day (October), and FAN of Engineering days (one Friday afternoon per month). Participation varies from giving a career talk to helping 5th graders build straw towers.
Commitment: Varies depending on the event.
Contact your Child's School
Help us meet with administrators and teachers at your child's school. Get the word out by informing your child's teachers and administrators of the resources available to them through the College of Engineering. If interested, you may choose to give a presentation in your child's classroom. We are not limited to a certain age group or school. Any K-12 school in Utah is eligible. Your help in this effort would be one of the best ways to get involved.
Commitment: This requires a meeting during parent-teacher conferences or with the principal at your child's school.
Support Current Engineering Students
Have dinner and share your story with our students. Current engineering students want to know about your career and how you chose the type of engineering you do. These events give students a wonderful opportunity to ask questions about job specifications, graduate school recommendations, and how to network. We hold two dinners per semester for our students on our Living/Learning Floor in the Residence Halls and 1 dinner per semester for students from Engineering Scholars, the College of Engineering Honors Program, Tau Beta Pi, Engineering LEAP, and the College of Engineering Ambassadors.
Commitment: Each dinner lasts about 2 1/2 hours.
Host Students at Your Workplace
Show our current engineering students what you do. Host our students at your workplace by providing internships, allowing students to 'shadow' you, or giving tours of your work facility. Our students are eager to see how their education will translate into a career. Many students are unsure how to choose a career path-or even about the many career paths available.
Commitment: Host as many students as you like. Tours are about 1 1/2 hours.
Career Days
Give a talk about what you do for a living during Career Day at a K-12 school in Utah. Many students would love to learn about your job. Tell students what you do each day and how they can prepare for college by taking the right classes in high school.
Commitment: Varies.
Tutoring & Mentoring
We invite you to tutor students in math and science at our partner schools. We also invite you to mentor students on research projects and on choosing their career paths.
High school students: Many students are involved in research for science fairs and other symposia. Walk students through the steps of their research projects. Help them understand the scientific method and how it is used in your everyday life as an engineer.
University of Utah students: Help students explore different areas of engineering. Show them how to navigate their way through the University of Utah as engineering majors, and then ultimately how to find jobs as they approach graduation.
Commitment: Set your own schedule. Some schools may consider a weekly or bi-weekly arrangement.
Judging Science Fairs
Volunteer as a judge for your local science fair. Schools have a hard time finding enough people to judge. Contact us and we will help you find a school that has an upcoming science fair.
Commitment: Once a year.
Utah Scholars Program
Give presentations on the Utah Scholars Program, which outlines a rigorous set of classes that helps prepare students to enter college. Presentations on the program are given to eighth grade classes as they begin to enroll for ninth grade. Help students understand the benefits of beginning to prepare for college in the eighth grade, so they will be better prepared to apply for college. In your presentation, you will also have the opportunity to talk about why you chose your career, what you do at work, and how you got to where you are.
Commitment: Depends on the needs of the Utah Scholars Program.
Adopt a School
We are working with the Granite Education Foundation to adopt three schools in the Granite School District. In this partnership we will conduct field days for the elementary school, career days for the junior high and high school, and other presentations as asked. In addition, we will provide tutors to help students with math and science. We invite you to join our partnership or to adopt a school of your own. There are many school districts across the state of Utah with community partnerships.
Commitment: Varies.
Spread the Word
Tell your colleagues what the College of Engineering is doing. If your colleagues graduated from the University of Utah, encourage them to join the Engineering Alumni Association.
Contact Us
If you are interested in helping with any of the programs mentioned, please contact us:
Jeff Bates
Outreach Coordinator, College of Engineering
University of Utah
72 S. Central Campus Drive, WEB 1620
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
(801) 581-8737
jeff.bates@utah.edu