50 years strong and only getting better
From its founding in 1964, Herff has been devoted to influencing the world. Early
on, we became one of the region's strongest think tanks for future engineers. Today
we have achieved national notoriety in many areas of expertise—from biomedical innovations
to nanotechnology to transportation efficiencies. Research funding has climbed to
exciting levels and our growth has been tremendous. The five decades that have passed
are filled with impressive people who graduated from the Herff College of Engineering
and went out into the world to solve problems and change humanity in countless ways.
Students and faculty come to Herff from all over, but they share one common attribute:
huge potential to impact society. And they never disappoint. There's no stopping a
Herff grad. We applaud these achievements and celebrate the strength of our growing
Herff community.
Driving Herff College of Engineering to even bigger and better things is Dr. Richard
Sweigard who joined us as dean in 2013 after serving as associate dean at the University
of Kentucky. He is the bridge between our past, our present and the promise of our
future. In Dr. Sweigard, the faculty and staff feel recharged about what lies ahead
and are moved by his strong leadership. Prior to working at Kentucky, Dean Sweigard
also taught at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and Pennsylvania State University.
He holds a BS in civil engineering from Drexel University, an MA in geology from Penn
State, and a PhD in mining engineering, also from Penn State.