USD-Magazine-Summer-2023

should care about the school. We are creating the future.” Earlier this year, the Shiley Marcos School of Engineering was ranked 15th on U.S. News & World Report ’s list of Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs where doctorate is not offered. The general consensus among those pivotal in its growth is that the school will eventually attain the top spot. “Our engineers are going out and changing the world — we’ve got everyone from astronauts to individuals serving in the Peace Corps,” Harris says. “We have Toreros all over the world who are Changemakers and we are so proud of every one of them.” “We have come so far in such a short period of time because everyone is really working together,” says Shiley. “It would make my husband wildly happy to know that there are so many different kinds of engineers here and I think he would look around and say ‘this is a group that was able to do amazing things in 10 years and I can hardly wait to see what they do in 20.’”

that founded the Shiley Marcos School of Engineering and Chell Roberts, PhD, was hired as the founding dean of the school. “It has been so fun and so great to see what has happened,” Roberts says, reflecting on the anniversary. “We started 10 years ago with just a handful of faculty members. Now, we have more than 45 full-time faculty members. We had enrolled maybe 200 students at the time and now we have more than 800 undergraduate students and about 350 graduate students. We now have five undergraduate degrees and six graduate degrees.” The 21st century is the world of engineering, Roberts says, referring to things like robots, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality. “There is this incredible world coming at us — we are diving into it and embracing it,” he says. “It’s the engineers and the computer scientists that create that world, certainly with others, but they are the brains behind the creation of our future and that is why people

early in life — from leaving Oregon State University to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II, to finishing first in his class following the war at the University of Portland. “That’s why they call us ‘Changemakers.’” “Donald Shiley was somebody who saw a problem and wanted to confront humanity’s issues around heart health and cardiovascular issues and he created something that has saved thousands of lives,” says President James T. Harris III, DEd. “When you combine that with the philanthropy and the vision of Darlene Shiley, the two married together, they are both Changemakers in their own way.” USD launched its engineering department in the fall semester of 1987 and celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of electrical engineering students in 1991. During the next 22 years, the department grew and added Industrial and Systems Engineering and Mechanical Engineering degree programs. In 2013, Marcos-Shiley provided the generous gift

the revolutionary workshop they occupy. “This is my favorite space,” Shiley tells the group, as she looks up in reverence at the space that features an array of machines students use to turn their ideas into prototypes. The space tells the story of Donald’s Garage, which not only pays homage to Donald Shiley, who was known for tinkering in his garage, but also celebrates the great things that can happen anywhere Changemaking engineers find inspiration. “I wish Donald was here to see all of you,” Shiley says, “because he would have liked it.” The hallways, atriums and workshops of the Belanich excited chatter and even the light buzzing of miniature drones making test flights in the airspace above nearby workbenches as onlookers attempt to capture photographs on their smartphones. The celebration also includes 3D print demonstrations, Raspberry Pi robots, a 360-degree photo booth, raffles and a ceremonial cake cutting in the west lobby, where Shiley reflects aloud on the significance of the occasion. “I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to see all of you here and to know there are students in the labs working,” she says. “I’m so proud of all of you. Thank you for continuing to let me help you — and I can guarantee that we are going to have some really good things coming up for the Shiley Marcos School of Engineering.” Shiley also offered advice on the importance of leaning into change. “Don’t be afraid of change,” she says, referring to the circuitous path Donald took Engineering Center are alive with festive music,

BARBARA FERGUSON

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Summer 2023