save the date

Below, always
eager to try
something new,
taking a spin in
an Engineers
on Wheels van
equipped for
engineering
education.
The first class graduated in 2000. Thomas Xenakis,
vice president, Commercial Division, Concord
Engineering, was a member of that class. “Most
of this first class had an entrepreneurial spirit to
choose Rowan in the first place,” he said, speaking
at the Jan. 21 ceremony. But he noted Mr. Rowan
gave him and others “The gift of excellence. The gift
of leadership. The gift of being a Rowan engineer.”
Recognized from the beginning for its
innovative Engineering Clinics, which offer handson,
multidisciplinary experiences from freshman
year through graduation, Rowan Engineering
would quickly grow to earn a national reputation
among its peers, national publications and
professional organizations. Today, in what is now
known as the Henry
M. Rowan College of
Engineering, nearly
1,300 students pursue
five majors (biomedical,
chemical, civil and
environmental,
electrical and computer
and mechanical
engineering) and
bachelor’s, master’s and
doctoral degrees. The
College is building an addition to Henry M. Rowan
Hall that will enable it to double its enrollment.
It has established relationships with New Jersey
county colleges and institutions around the globe.
It conducts research for and is funded by such
organizations as the National Institutes of Health,
National Science Foundation, Department of
Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, federal
and state Departments of Transportation and
industry leaders such as Lockheed Martin.
I can't stress enough the importance
and influence this man has had on
my life and future. I can’t thank
him enough as he is responsible for
my late father's and later my own
innovative and invaluable education.
Thank you, Mr. Rowan.
Today, the College
boasts more than
1,700 alumni and
an excellent placement
record—graduates
often have
jobs lined up or
grad school acceptances in hand well before commencement,
and they have gone on to land managerial
roles in industry, accept faculty positions in
universities and establish their own businesses.
Engineering Dean Anthony Lowman said that
all of that happened because Mr. Rowan saw a need
in society for more exceptional engineers. “And
he saw this need well before anybody ever heard
the word STEM (science,
technology, engineering and
mathematics). He decided to
do something about it. Today
this program is still a model,
and we are still trying to do
it better and be even more
transformative.”
inspiring generosity
and vision
While people on and off
campus associate Mr. Rowan
with the College of Engineering, his impact on the
University did not stop there.
His gift inspired many others to make major
contributions to the school. One of them was
Camden County businesswoman and civic leader
Linda Rohrer, now chairman of the Rowan University
Board of Trustees. She and fellow members
of the William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation,
named for her late father—a businessman,
banker and elected official—donated more than
$11 million to what is now known as the
William G. Rohrer College of Business.
“I didn’t know who Henry Rowan was in
1992. Truth be told, I didn’t even know how to
pronounce his name,” she said at the Celebration
of Life. “But he made me come to know him. You
do not ignore a $100-million gift. A little more
than two decades ago, the William G. Rohrer
Charitable Foundation board members and I
sat back and watched what was transpiring in
Glassboro. We wanted to see what was going on
and how it would evolve. We wanted insight into
how the leaders at the college would handle the
Rowan Gift, if they even were capable of handling
it. Hank’s gift was the direct inspiration for our
Foundation to donate through the years.”
—Tyler, current student