R. Bruce Renda

R. Bruce Renda, founding dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI received the first 50th Anniversary IUPUI Chancellor’s Medallion from Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar on September 14, 2018.

Dr. Renda joined the School of Engineering and Technology as founding dean in 1974, succeeding William A. Nevill, dean of the School of Science at IUPUI, who had served as acting dean of Engineering & Technology, since the school’s establishment in 1972. Dr. Renda held that position until his retirement in 1992.

During his tenure at IUPUI, Renda led the school through a period of rapid expansion and technological growth. Renda oversaw the expansion of the school’s computer capabilities, initiated programs and classes to integrate new technologies into the school’s curricula, and chaired the campus network committee, which developed the plan for networking IUPUI’s campus and helped to establish IUPUI as a center of IT innovation. Dr. Renda also strongly supported the School of Engineering and Technology’s effort to encourage underrepresented minorities and women to pursue careers in engineering and technology, including the Minority Engineering Advancement Program (MEAP), which continues to provide exposure in the fields of engineering and technology to middle school and high school students.

Additional highlights of Renda’s career at IUPUI include the transition of the School of Engineering and Technology from a teaching institution to one also focused on research. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., (ABET) accredited all of the school’s engineering programs in 1978, and by 1989 the school was approved for its first master’s degree programs, which were in electrical and mechanical engineering. Additionally, Renda oversaw massive expansion of Engineering and Technology facilities.

For these accomplishments and more, Dean Renda was awarded Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Evan Bayh, the highest honor the state can bestow, in 1991.

As the first dean of the School of Engineering and Technology, R. Bruce Renda set a precedent of excellence, innovation, and scholarship that has distinguished the school throughout its history and contributed to the evolution and excellence of IUPUI.