I am both delighted and humbled to accept the role of Interim Dean of the Swanson School of Engineering, one of the first and finest engineering programs in the U.S. with a rich 176-year history. My thanks to Provost Cudd and Chancellor Gallagher for entrusting me to lead the Swanson School in its next chapter. For more than two decades, I have dedicated myself to the University of Pittsburgh in general and the Swanson School (Department of Bioengineering) in particular, and I look forward to working with each of you in our shared mission to advance academic excellence, drive world-class research, and make a positive societal impact.

To that end, our top priorities are generating new knowledge—both fundamental discoveries and technological advances that are impactful for improving the human condition—and providing novel educational experiences. I firmly believe that excellence in research and education should be synergistic, enabled by partnership and community among faculty, students, and staff.

Academic excellence cannot be achieved without simultaneous efforts in the research and educational arenas, both contributing to creating a workforce exquisitely trained to tackle tomorrow’s enormous challenges. Producing the next generation of Swanson School Engineers who are merely technically savvy is insufficient—we must provide our students the resources and incentives to engage in their own learning, including integrated and interdisciplinary problem-solving beyond the classroom and impactful community outreach and engagement. We need to blur the lines between disciplines to forge a more holistic engineer for the 21st century who is globally competitive, competent, communicative, and resilient. Indeed, one of the best things we can do is to provide a safe, warm, and welcoming environment to learn wherein both success and failure are encountered. Through research opportunities, co-ops and internships, experiential learning, international experience, community engagement, and more, I am committed to making Pitt Engineers the most sought-after employees, educators, and researchers in the world.

As Interim Dean, it is my intent to encourage an environment of shared governance among all stakeholders, with the common goal of achieving excellence in both research and education. We have an established foundation of excellence—let us build upon that with our combined knowledge, imagination, and collaboration. I hope you will join me in this mission.

Sincerely,

Sanjeev G. Shroff
Interim US Steel Dean, Swanson School of Engineering
Distinguished Professor of and Gerald E. McGinnis Chair in Bioengineering
Professor of Medicine