Dear UConn Engineering Family:

As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this year, I am thankful for the amazing staff, faculty, and students who make it such a wonderful place to work and learn, and I am honored and proud to be the dean of our school at this time in its history.  

We’ve made it to the end of in-person classes.  Echoing President Katsouleas’ message to the UConn Community on 11/19, to say it’s been one of the most unique semesters in our 104-year history is an understatement.  Despite a pandemic that has upended our lives, as a community of engineers we did what we do best — we transformed!  The world as we knew it a year or so ago is gone.  There is uneasiness in our society.  But you demonstrated that we will endure and thrive!  

As you sit down with your loved ones on Thanksgiving Day, make sure to reflect back on this semester, because it will be a memory which will become a barometer for professional and personal success when things get tough — from stories about innovations in teaching and research, to ingenuity in collaborating on Senior Design projects, to balancing ever changing work-life demands.  

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to thank you all for what we’ve achieved so far and once more express my gratitude for your incredible dedication, and I emphasize one more time that you put your health and the well-being of your families first.

I wish you a healthy and joyful Thanksgiving break.

Stay well,
Kazem