Maverick Factor, Engineering-style
Our president, Jennifer Cowley, has just completed her first year at UT Arlington. As she travels around North Texas, she speaks of the "Maverick Factor" as the thing that sets UTA apart. What's the Maverick Factor? It's being unafraid to do whatever it takes in pursuit of our goals, unrelenting in forging a pathway, unwavering in our commitment to excellence, unafraid to discover new technologies that impact the state, nation, world—in other words, any number of things that capture our undeniably unstoppable spirit.
While Dr. Cowley speaks for the entire University, I think that the College of Engineering exemplifies the Maverick Factor in many ways. We find ways to reach our goals, no matter how large. We make our own way and hold ourselves to a high standard in research and in the classroom. New technologies and discoveries are commonplace, and our researchers continue to produce impactful research in health care, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and sustainability that betters our community, state, and nation.
Whatever you call it, there's something about our college that is appealing. We see evidence of this in our skyrocketing enrollment—we set a new record this fall with nearly 10,000 students—and in our hiring of dozens of new faculty over the last several years. We have added two new master's degree programs at the UTA Fort Worth campus and, as you will read in the pages of this magazine, our new resource and energy engineering bachelor's degree program received a huge boost when UTA alumnus Kelcy Warren made the largest-ever donation to the University to help us fund faculty positions, student scholarships, and career and academic support services to ensure its success.
The unstoppable spirit that President Cowley treasures is part of the fabric of our college, and I hope that you, our alumni and friends, are proud to be associated with us now and long into the future.
Peter E. CrouchDean, College of Engineering