Outlook Magazine - Fall 2018

obert Cervenka followed a people-centered culture, believing in the long-term investment in people and For growth Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering honors philanthropy, helps create ‘hub of excellence’ R communities.

His investment in UW-Stout led to the October 2017 dedication of the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering, which honors the Phillips Plastics co-founder’s lifetime of philanthropy to the university. Gifts by him and his wife, Debbie, have totaled about $5.5 million since the 1990s, including a $2.5 million memorial gift. Cervenka died in September 2015 at age 79. A plastics pioneer, he played a pivotal role in establishing and funding UW-Stout engineering programs and co-chaired the 1990’s renovation of Fryklund Hall, now home to the engineering school. Cervenka helped write the curriculum for the first accredited engineering program on campus, manufacturing engineering, and served as its second program director. UW-Stout then added computer engineering, plastics engineering and mechanical engineering, all of which are in the Cervenka School of Engineering. The university also offers a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering. Chuck Bomar, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management, said Cervenka’s gifts showed the university’s programs had a significant impact on industry and Phillips Plastics. “Being a polytechnic university with a school of engineering is very powerful,” Bomar said. “I see it continuing to brand the institute and to continue to brand western Wisconsin as the hub of engineering excellence.” In the fall, UW-Stout will be expanding computer engineering to include an electrical engineering concentration. “Our ability to offer electronical engineering meets a significant need for electrical engineers. That demand is nearly as high as for mechanical engineers,” Bomar said. Electrical engineers design and develop new electrical systems including for computers, robots, cell phones, radar, navigation systems and wiring and lighting in buildings. Professor Tom Lacksonen, UW-Stout engineering and technology chair, said the new mechanical engineering program and electrical concentration are part of a well-rounded array. The Cervenka gift will strengthen the programs by supporting teaching, research and lab development. “Our vision is to grow in the areas of automation, robotics and 3D printing,” Lacksonen said. “Each of these areas will allow students across different

Top: Robert F. Cervenka; Bottom: Signage for the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering at Fryklund Hall.

engineering programs to work together in classes and on projects.”

Wei Zheng, plastics engineering program director, said UW-Stout is poised well for the future in engineering, particularly in the upper Midwest. “The (Cervenka) gift means more opportunities to expand the current engineering array, more support to create a platform for exchange and collaborations with industries and other academic institutes, and higher-value education to cultivate next generation engineers,” Zheng said.

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