Finishing out the candidates for the next James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering at Iowa State is Karen Thole of Pennsylvania State University.

In her open forum Wednesday afternoon, Thole discussed three main points. These topics included relevant accomplishments, external drivers in education and research and proposed education and research to take Iowa State to the “next level.”

Thole said Iowa State has built an impactful engineering departments through people, programs and partnerships. Thole said the people who have helped lead the mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering programs have helped implement strong mentoring programs between students and faculty.

Thole said the pressures and cost of schooling is creating a toll on students, and diversity and inclusion is another major issue.

“I want to give a private school feel to a big land grant institution,” Thole said.

Thole also said there are greater skills required of graduating engineers. Thole said a base line of skills needs to be taught and students are looking to develop unique skills and look to professors in these areas.

Thole says small companies want different skills and some professors don’t have the experience to teach these skills.

“You have the pieces here at Iowa State,” Thole said. “But this is an important piece to keep in mind.”

Looking forward to the future, Thole said she looks at two issues: education and research.

Thole said at Penn State, they have recently started offering workshops that include skills faculty cannot teach but what companies are looking for. These workshops are taught by industry to help students build the skills they need for companies.

“I want more than that for my students,” Thole said. “I want employers to come to my school and say wow this is mechanical engineering but look at what else they did.”

Thole said signature research areas need to be redefined in the next phase.

“I did not apply to this job until I looked at your faculty because a dean at the end of the day can’t do anything without excellent faculty,” Thole said. “Great things come from great faculty and staff.”

Thole is currently a University Distinguished Professor at Penn State and the head of Penn State’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. Thole received both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois and her doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas.

Thole moved to Penn State in 2006 after previously serving as the William S. Cross Professor of mechanical engineering and assistant department head for research at Virginia Tech.