Alumni

Dear Tufts Engineering Graduate:

It has been just over four years since I assumed the position of Dean of Engineering here at Tufts. I have found this time to be both challenging and rewarding. These are truly exciting times for the University, and I feel deeply honored to be part of the Tufts leadership team. Although I still have much to learn about this remarkable institution, and we have many ambitious plans to pursue, it seems timely to share with you, our alums, some of the recent developments in Engineering at Tufts.

Over the course of the last few years, we have been refining our aspirations as a School and positioning ourselves to play a substantial role in advancing Tufts’ reputation as a premier Research I institution. As we move forward, we are also striving to maintain and enhance the liberal arts college atmosphere and dedication to education that is the foundation of Tufts undergraduate experience. We aspire to be a leader among our peer engineering schools in interdisciplinary research and engineering education, and to achieve national eminence in targeted interdisciplinary research and education programs. In keeping with our strong tradition of excellence in undergraduate engineering education, we seek to achieve an international reputation for educating engineering leaders, engineers who have the breadth, skills, and vision to shape and harness technological innovation for the benefit of society. Our aspiration for leadership in interdisciplinary research is based upon the strong scholarship of our faculty across Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, the collegial culture of the institution, and the close proximity of Tufts’ extraordinary professional schools.

I have worked with department chairs, faculty colleagues, alumni advisors, staff, and students to further delineate our strategic goals and add to our faculty. To date, we have identified three interdisciplinary research/education focus areas for the School: (i) bioengineering, (ii) environmental sustainability, and (iii) innovation in engineering education.

In the coming months, we hope to communicate our plans and progress on a number of other strategic initiatives, including master planning for the Medford campus, development of a center to support recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in science and engineering, and the assessment and enhancement of our undergraduate curriculum. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions on ways we can improve our communications with you and involve you further in the life of our institution.

Feel free to contact me by e-mail at EngineeringDeansOffice@tufts.edu.

Sincerely,

Linda M. Abriola
Dean of Engineering