The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/456562
DEAR ALUMNI: I have always been proud to call myself a WPI alumnus and have taken special pride in my work as a WPI trustee and as the national campaign chair. Like you, I have experi- enced many inspiring moments associated with WPI. However, I have never been more proud or more inspired than at the inauguration of President Leshin on Nov. 8. The positive mo- mentum was palpable as the president asked the WPI community to join her in a commitment to making WPI the premier global polytechnic. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our distinguished guests left with a renewed sense of purpose and an even stronger dedication to WPI and the work pursued here. President Leshin delivered a key message about not only continuing our founding tradition of theory and practice, but advancing that tradition to greater impact. This was a high point of her address, as she recognized the many areas where students, faculty, and alumni are already making an impact, especially through WPI's project-based curriculum and at our more than 40 project centers around the world. Impact—described by the president as "our third tower"—is a theme continued in this academic year, with teams of faculty and staff developing ways to expand WPI's reach in critical areas: global engagement, under- graduate programs, PhD and research enterprise, online and continuing education, and innovation and entrepreneurship. Impact also serves as a major component of the Foisie Innova- tion Studio. This frst state-of-the-art home for WPI's distinctive project-based curriculum will be the physical expression of impact. Whether in the Collaborative Workshop for Student Projects, the Robotics Laboratory, the Business Development In- cubator and Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Maker Space, or the Great Problems Seminar classrooms, you will fnd students and faculty seeking solutions to some of the most challenging problems facing our society. Every foor, every room of the Foisie Innovation Studio will be dedicated to supporting students and faculty in their quest to use knowledge and exper- tise to make a positive impact on individuals and communities around the world. Just as President Leshin challenged the WPI community to con- sider how this almost-150-year-old university can have greater im- pact on the world, the Alden Trust has challenged the worldwide network of WPI alumni to have a greater impact on the Foisie Innovation Studio. The Trust, one of WPI's most generous bene- factors, will fulfll a $3 million pledge toward the Innovation Stu- dio if WPI alumni collectively contribute $9 million over 18 months to making it a reality. This is our opportunity to make a difference, to dramatically enhance the campus, and simultane- ously change the lives of students, faculty, and those touched by their work. It will take many alumni making gifts of all sizes to meet this challenge. Your enthusiastic support, loyalty, and generosity throughout if…The Campaign to Advance WPI has taken this university to a new level. In this our sesquicentennial year, be part of the next big thing to innovate WPI's future. I hope you will join me in rising to the Alden Trust Challenge and supporting the Foisie Innovation Studio.. MICHAEL J. DOLAN '75 Senior Vice President, Exxon Mobil Corporation WPI Trustee and National Campaign Chair Advancing WPI Winter 2015 7 From the National Campaign Chair