Joe Cook, who graduated as an industrial engineering major and a Torchbearer in 1965, and his wife, Judy, have made a significant commitment to the honors program in the college. The UT Board of Trustees approved the naming of the honors program Joseph C. and Judith E. Cook Grand Challenge Honors Program at its meeting in Chattanooga today.
“By refining our honors program in such a way to deal with issues that impact lives on a global basis, students will get to participate in and observe the effects of their research and studies on the real world,” said Cook, of Nashville.
“By instilling practical engineering in our students, we hope to give them a portion of the means and the drive to match their dreams,” he continued. “Our students really will change the world.”
The 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering are global issues identified by the National Academy of Engineering. Among them are nuclear security, urban infrastructure, clean water and energy, and health and medicine.
Students complete both curricular and extracurricular requirements established by the NAE to graduate with honors from the program. Their program entails five areas of focus: undergraduate research, interdisciplinary coursework, entrepreneurship, global experience, and service-learning.
The Grand Challenges and the importance of being able to find solutions for them—and the consequences of not solving them— inspired Cook to fund the endowment.
“Solution-driven education and research will be vital to adapt, confront and conquer some of these challenges,” he said.
Program director Kevin Kit said the Cook family’s support will open additional doors for the program’s students.
“Their generosity will greatly improve the experience of our students, allowing them greater access to research and study abroad opportunities,” said Kit. “It will also allow a greater number of students to participate and will provide resources to enhance the quality of our honors courses and to develop new opportunities for students in the entrepreneurship and service-learning areas.”
