Marquette engineering dean to retire

Jaskolski reshaped college, raised more than $100 million; vows to stay involved

Stan Jaskolski, Opus Dean of Engineering at Marquette University, has announced his intention to retire, effective June 30, 2010, or until a successor is named.

Jaskolski, 70, told engineering faculty and staff at a back-to-school meeting this morning that he will continue to focus his attention on raising funds for the college’s planned $100 million Discovery Learning Complex, as well as scholarships and faculty chairs. He cited a desire to spend more time with his wife, Cindy, and family and his health as reasons for his decision.

Actually, this is Jaskolski’s second retirement. He returned to Marquette, his alma mater, in 2003 after retiring as chief technology officer of Eaton Corporation, a $15 billion corporation that produces controls and energy management systems. As CTO, he led the Eaton Innovation Center, which was responsible for identifying, evaluating and prototyping high-impact innovations and technology. Jaskolski was involved in more than $350 million worth of dedicated research and development for the worldwide corporation. Before becoming CTO, he was the director of Eaton's Corporate Research Center in Milwaukee.

During his six years as dean, Jaskolski has raised more than $100 million, including more than $60 million for the planned new engineering facility; $15 million for endowed chairs in construction engineering and management, engineering design and renewable and sustainable energy; and $25 million for scholarships.

"Stan is a superstar.  His compelling vision for the future of engineering education has inspired alumni, foundations and industries to support our College of Engineering in an amazing way," Marquette President Robert A. Wild, S.J., said. "His experience in both academia and industry helps him connect the world of research and scholarship to our urgent need as a human community for practical solutions to societal problems."

Wild emphasized that Jaskolski will have a continued presence at Marquette. "We expect this year to continue to take advantage of Stan’s usual lively participation – and great ideas, and we anticipate his and Cindy’s continued involvement in the years ahead as the dream of a new engineering facility becomes a reality here at Marquette," he said.

Jaskolski said the college faculty and staff, the university administration and the more than 14,000 College of Engineering alumni have helped him build a strong foundation for the college’s future. "Enrollment is up. We’ve recruited world-class faculty to add to our excellent scholars and teachers. We’ve transformed the engineering curriculum. With a variety of outreach projects to elementary through high school students, we’re building the pipeline for science, technology and engineering careers. And, we’re putting in place our plan to build a world-class engineering building we call the Discovery Learning Complex that will, in some sense, be a gift to the city of Milwaukee as we work to develop an enhanced engineering work force," Jaskolski said.

Jaskolski said he will continue to work on raising the final $33 million for the $100 million building project. "I fully intend to help the college meet its goals for the new building and all that it means for the education of our students and the opportunities for collaboration with industry, non-profit groups, the City of Milwaukee and our higher education partners," he continued. "I came back to Milwaukee to give back to a great university that gave so much to me. I have been blessed to receive so much more than I have given."

Marquette Provost John Pauly said a search would begin immediately for Jaskolski’s successor. "Stan has done a magnificent job of refocusing engineering education, building collaborations with other institutions to enhance business partnerships in the Milwaukee region, identifying and recruiting world-class faculty, and reaching out to K-12 schools to create interest in STEM education," he said. "We will look for someone who can continue along the path Stan has set as we prepare engineers for the global challenges that they are in a unique position to help resolve."

Prior to joining Eaton in 1982, Jaskolski taught in the College of Engineering for 15 years and served as chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from 1976-82.

He previously served as a member of the National Science Board appointed by President Clinton, was president of the Industrial Research Institute, an organization of the top 300 industrial research organizations in the United States, and is a co-holder of 27 patents in semiconductor technology and the design of electrical components.

Jaskolski earned his bachelor's (1962), master's (1964) and Ph.D. (1967) degrees at Marquette. He is a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin and is the author of more than 20 technical articles.