Founder's Page
A note from the founder, Ravi Thakkar
It has been a great pleasure to serve as the first Chairman and Founder of Engineering Initiatives. The advancement of this organization from a concept to becoming a fully developed organization in just one year is attributed to the highly motivated and dedicated Engineering Initiatives Board of Directors and the support from the administration of the College of Engineering. The concept of developing a board that would launch innovative programs to keep the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at the forefront of engineering institutions came to me back in March 2005. By May 2005 the first Board of Directors was established and the first think tank was held. After a summer of intense logistical development in terms of creating a logo, website, and other new organization dealings, EI was ready for launch in the fall semester of 2005.
With the approval of the Office for Academic Affairs, Engineering Initiatives was launched as a college sponsored organization under Associate Dean Keith Hjelmstad. This unique relationship between the students and administration/faculty made EI a one-of-a-kind organization in the University.
After one year of significant work in the development of different programs and utilizing current resources that the college already had, EI "spun off" a dozen independent initiatives. EI was now known as a premier organization within the college that was impacting several areas including academic affairs, development, recruiting, alumni relations, and communications.
It then came the time that EI had stabilized as an organization that was here to stay and would continue to make significant contributions to the institution for years to come. The obvious next step was to develop a constitution for the organization with the approval of the EI board and the College, which was then ratified on May 1, 2006; just one year after the board had met for the first time.
Serving as the Chairman of this great board that was filled with enthusiasm, motivation, and the determination to launch innovative programs to avoid stagnation, I learned that when such a talented group comes together only good can result. The support from the administration, the EI board, and a little luck, I am proud to step down as Chairman of an exceptional team and leave it in my successor's hands to continue to have the type of impact EI did this year and to have it grow each year.
If there is one lesson I learned from creating this organization and proving to the world what we could do was the value of collaborative determination. This group started with a seed budget of zero dollars, no office, and no fiscal resources and here EI stands today as a premier and highly regarded organization in the College of Engineering. The determination and goal oriented mindset of this hard working group of students is what made it happen.
As the founder of this organization my vision for this organization is that it continues to launch innovative programs and remembers the value of a talented board. It will be very important to select the very best leaders to serve on the board of directors that capture leadership, communication, drive, enthusiasm, innovation, and collaboration. The same goes for the position of Chairperson. I think EI is off to an excellent start but the momentum needs to continue. EI should not and will not accept mediocrity. If each director keeps his or her passion for what the mission and vision of organization are, EI will yield astonishing results. At the same time it is important to remember that the organization itself needs to stay innovative as a whole. I challenge the future Chairpersons of EI to keep this in mind during their term that in addition to guiding the college EI itself stays current.
Serving as the Chairman and Founder of Engineering Initiatives has been one of the most valuable and gratifying experiences I have had in my career thus far. I hope that EI continues to grow, excel, develop and eventually has the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois ranked as #1 in the United States of America. It is a tough and challenging goal that will take years of development but with the strategic vision of the University, the College and of Engineering Initiatives I think we are headed in the right direction.
Best wishes and Good Luck to Engineering Initiatives.
Regards,
Ravi V. Thakkar
Founder
Engineering Initiatives
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
