Development docket: The case for a campaign

Jeffrey S. Russell (9K JPG)

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering enters the 21st Century from a position of strength. Its faculty members have a proven track record in attracting research grants. The department provides technological leadership in a variety of fields, ranging from pollution control to building the next generation of roads and bridges. It continues to draw top students from around the world, and its graduates are leaders in business, industry and governmental agencies.

In short, the department enjoys a reputation as one of the best in the country. But we want to be even better. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering operates in an increasingly competitive world — for the best faculty, for the brightest students, and for the latest in cutting-edge technology. We have come a long way from the days of surveying camps and drafting tables. But now, our ability to succeed in that competitive environment depends on enhancing private support for the department.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has begun an ambitious journey, seeking to raise a $25 million endowment during the next 10 years to secure its future. We are already halfway there, thanks to generous donations from distinguished alumni and friends of the department. But we want to enlist more alumni in our mission, and to invest our resources where they can bring the highest and most enduring returns for future generations. We're moving ahead, to grow and improve, and we want you — the alumni and friends of the department — to be an integral part of that endeavor.

Our goal: to build upon the department's legacy by shaping a better world for tomorrow, through cleaner air and water initiatives, more durable materials, stronger and more secure buildings, better and more cost-effective construction programs, and sustainable designs that will endure in a rapidly changing global and digital economy.

To achieve this vision, we need your help. While the UW-Madison College of Engineering is state-supported, our department derives just 18 percent of its funding from state coffers. State support to the department amounts to $2.2 million annually — enough to support faculty salaries and some support staff. But we need to augment our state dollars with philanthropic gifts to support critical areas such as student recruitment and scholarships, improvements to laboratories, cutting-edge engineering equipment, and support for faculty leadership training. Funding for these critical efforts makes our program stronger, helping the department attract and retain the best students, faculty and staff.

We are competitive in national rankings among our peer institutions. But we want to achieve more. Other similar departments, public and private, have far more endowed professorships, graduates and funded research programs than we do. Many also derive more annual income from tuition and endowment income. With your help, we want to continue to offer a world-class education and conduct cutting-edge research in civil and environmental engineering.

In short, this campaign will enhance and improve the department's long tradition of excellence. We seek to be a department by which others are measured. In the end, it will provide the foundation for the department's continued pursuit of education and leadership of the highest distinction.

Jeffrey S. Russell, P.E.
Tel: 608/262-7244
E-mail: russell@engr.wisc.edu