Laying the Foundation for the Future
Scholars in UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Chemical Engineering have a long tradition of collaboration through joint appointments and proposals as well as shared students, post-docs and facilities. This cooperative spirit influences the department’s success. It’s no surprise that the community has embraced a collective approach to graduate student support. With the help of alumni and friends, the Department of Chemical Engineering has launched the Foundation for the Future Graduate Student Initiative with a goal to raise $5 million.
UC Santa Barbara’s chemical engineering graduate program is ranked No. 9 in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. As a field leader, the department competes for graduate student candidates with other top universities. The ongoing success of the Department of Chemical Engineering relies on a strong graduate program that drives research, educates undergraduates, and produces talented engineers and scientists.
“Our program seeks to develop innovative science and technology that addresses the needs of industry, the scientific community and society. Much of our research involves a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to solving grand challenges. This work is greatly accelerated when private supporters come together to ensure that our graduate students have the resources they need to live, learn and carry out research on campus. The Foundation for the Future endowment will ensure that the department has the resources to address the rising costs associated with our graduate students living in Santa Barbara,” said Professor Michael Gordon, the Warren G. and Katharine S. Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Duncan Mellichamp H’09 is a professor emeritus and founding member of the faculty of the Department of Chemical Engineering, where he started the process control program. Mellichamp, who came to campus in 1966 from DuPont’s Textile Fibers Division in North Carolina, spent his entire academic career at UC Santa Barbara and has remained active in university affairs and philanthropy since becoming emeritus and a UC Santa Barbara Foundation trustee in 2003. He and his wife, Suzanne MA ’70, led the charge for this initiative with a generous starting gift.
“I never would have become a UC Santa Barbara professor without having taught my first course as a finishing graduate student at Purdue, thereby gaining the confidence to enter academia at the end of a successful four-year industrial career. I had a bit of luck and solid preparation in research and teaching, which is what we can provide all our graduate students. Foundation for the Future will give our very best graduate students financial support and the opportunity to work with our most experienced faculty and outstanding undergraduates in a special program that would prepare them to step directly into a teaching position at any top university… or into industry.”
Michael Costello ‘88 explains why he rose to the Mellichamps’ challenge. His UC Santa Barbara education prepared him for a 28-year career with The Clorox Company.
“I give back to the Department of Chemical Engineering so that others can experience the same quality and attention in teaching — and hopefully the success, too. While the professors were critical to my success, so were the graduate students who I spent so much time with. I believe they deserve to be supported in a way that allows them to focus on research and teaching undergrads. This initiative is one part of that,” said Michael.
Economic uncertainty might force graduate students to quit academia in favor of the more immediate financial gain found in the private sector. In other instances, the best graduate students select other institutions based on the availability of financial support. Given the economic dynamics facing prospective graduate students, financial incentives are paramount.
Through this initiative, the Department of Chemical Engineering not only secures its place among the foremost programs but also fosters a supportive ecosystem where all students thrive.
For more information on supporting Foundations for the Future, contact Steve Ramirez, assistant dean of development for the College of Engineering and BioEngineering, at steve.ramirez@ucsb.edu.