After six years as dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Fraser Forbes is returning to the professoriate.
As dean, his focus never wavered from positioning the Faculty of Engineering as Canada’s leading engineering faculty and one of the world’s best. His focus was always on bringing teams together, knowing that nothing is accomplished by a single individual, and that diverse teams often realize things only imagined.
“Fraser always said that as a team we were almost unstoppable. And he was right: together we changed the culture of the faculty, and introduced Engineering at Alberta across the country,” says Jason Carey, Vice Dean. “We elevated the student experience, and we made it through some of the most difficult adversity a community can imagine, including the tragedy of flight 752 that took the lives of seven members of our engineering family. Only months later we were faced with a global pandemic, and we made it through that.”
“Under Fraser's deanship, the Faculty of Engineering has continued its long tradition of excellence and strength,” says Provost Steven Dew. “I have benefited from Fraser's strategic thinking and frank advice over the last five years, and wish him well in the future.”
Fraser’s leadership has helped to bring the Faculty of Engineering community—both internal and external—together in creating the next phase in the evolution of one of Canada’s great engineering faculties. The foundation of this work was a deep and comprehensive branding exercise that made explicit the faculty's communal values, identified key differentiators, and developed into a nationwide communication strategy that put the spotlight on Engineering at Alberta and its unique culture of daring doers.
During Fraser’s tenure, the Faculty of Engineering developed a successful CFREF research grant which resulted in $75M in funding to create Future Energy Systems. The research initiative brought together the energy expertise, capacity and capability of more than 500 researchers across 18 faculties at the U of A.
The faculty also completed more than $80M in capital projects funded through Government of Alberta and Government of Canada programs. These spaces enable researchers to perform ground-breaking research in crucial areas such as: engineering for human health, the full spectrum of energy, and infrastructure for a carbon neutral world. Uncommonly equipped, these spaces give engineering students hands-on learning, and opportunities to create and innovate. Importantly, these spaces allow the wider engineering community to come together, share experiences and celebrate achievements.
Over the past six years, the faculty continued to build a vibrant and engaged alumni community One example of their collective effort was bringing the Elko Garage into being, which provides more than 6,000 square feet of maker space for students, offering hands-on learning opportunities and providing the space for them to simply tinker, explore and invent. Another alumni community grew around ENGYAC (Engineering Young Alumni Council), which supports recent graduates and builds connections among them.
Fraser’s term as dean has likewise been punctuated by meaningful community partnerships such as Engineering Connects, a community-based learning and research program that provides socially-minded experiences for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partner organizations. It is a program with Wȃhkôhtowin as it’s guiding principle—the Cree word denoting the interconnected nature of relationships, communities, and natural systems.
“As Engineers, we have always been problem solvers, imaginative thinkers, and people who get things done,” Fraser says. “We are united by our unwavering dedication to solving the world’s greatest challenges and building a better future for society. I am confident that this spirit is strong in the Faculty and will continue to drive Engineering at Alberta forward.”