Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
This is just a quick note wishing you and your family a happy new year.
2019 was one of the best in the department’s history. We welcomed several excellent new faculty and staff as well as a number of promising new graduate students. We said goodbye to some of our most senior Ph.D. students who successfully defended their theses and moved on to launch purposeful and prosperous careers. Best wishes to one and all!
Our graduate program is growing in the number of Graduate Research Assistants and continuing its tradition of excellence. Anticipation is in the air regarding our emerging undergraduate Materials Science and Engineering program. Meanwhile, we continue to support the Engineering Science Degree that delivers unique opportunities for customized degree programs for many students and sound pathways to engineering careers for others. Our teaching mission remains strong as our faculty and TAs deliver thought provoking, cutting edge content and compete for and often earn numerous best teacher awards.
Over the past year, a number of our faculty were promoted and some reappointed; this is very important to the development, future health and well-being of a thriving department. Congratulations, well done! Many faculty members received high praise for scholarly accomplishments, service to the profession and leadership often laboring behind the scenes without public recognition while working selfishly hand in hand with our students, administrative and professional research staffs. Our research enterprise continues to expand into new areas. Meanwhile, we continue to fortify our traditional research strengths and core competencies.
We owe many thanks to our administrative staff. Without them the department ceases to function. Thanks also for the addition of a new joint staff member, as a part of UVA Engineering’s communication team. We have set a course to proactively promote our accomplishments, good news, and latest milestones to our alumni, stakeholders and the entire materials science and engineering community. I am very excited about the possibilities regarding our communications and outreach in the future.
Last but not least, our generous and far-sighted departmental donors have recognized our progress and have supported us with record levels of fellowship support directed towards our Ph.D. program as well as an endowed professorship and discretionary funding for MSE.
Our future possibilities are limitless. I look forward to all of your continued successes and would like to hear about your vision and dreams for the department over the coming year.
Thank you all for your selfless dedication to MSE throughout this past demanding semester. Your inspiration and diligence has made all of the above possible. I look forward to seeing you in January. Here is to a happy and prosperous new year.
Sincerely,
John R. Scully
