Our Dean

Dr. Don Weinkauf has served as the Dean of Engineering at the University of St Thomas in St. Paul since 2008. He has been honored nationally for his teaching and research as a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. Prior to his career in academia, Dr. Weinkauf worked for Shell Oil Company as a Research Engineer.

Today, Engineering at St. Thomas has a department of about 58 people. When Don first started, there were 12. This was the time for the team to define the culture of Engineering at St. Thomas. Don tells us that the culture is all about, “students, students, students.” The way that real estate is all about ‘location, location, location.’ That framework remains to this day, though he would revise it to include the emphasis on preparing students for the real world as, “students, students, industry.”

Growing from a team of 12 to a team of almost 60 is exciting and promising of a bright future, but it does not come without its own challenges. “Think about the logistics of throwing a dinner party for 6 guests, now think about throwing a dinner party for a group of 30 guests!” You have to take the people into consideration.

Thinking of the role he plays in the scaling of the department, Don tells us the two things he consistently does to maintain the existing culture. The first is to be available to his community. For a long time, Don had his office on the first floor, right next to the main entrance. He jokes that the question he became the leading expert on is, “Where are the bathrooms?” The second thing is to work together, to have everyone’s voice matter. “We’re all in this together,” Don tells us, “We all have different jobs, but there's no job better than the other. Each person who interacts with a student, and that's our priority, is equally valued. Whether it's me or a lab manager, a faculty member, a staff member who's answering a student's question. These are all equally important interactions with our students. These all impact their trajectory.”

As the department grows internally, Don sees the importance of a St. Thomas education growing externally. “Engineering is ultimately about people and serving people. To know how to serve people you need more than a technical education, you need the humanities, the social sciences, the communication and teamwork skills- a liberal arts education. St. Thomas understands this.”

How does St. Thomas Engineering position itself to deliver a valuable and meaningful education during a period where technology is developing fast, the job market is changing, and there is a lot of uncertainty about the value of higher education?

Don brings it back to the culture at St. Thomas, “students, students, industry.” The focus of the St. Thomas School of Engineering continues to be about developing our students as a whole person by providing an engineering education that is both technically rigorous and transformative.

As for the changing landscapes outside of the classroom, “we keep our ears to the track, and we translate these trends into the classroom.” Don values the relationships built between the school and industry professionals, many of whom teach in both undergraduate and graduate classrooms. “The more awareness we have of what industry needs are, the better our ability to be honest with ourselves about what that means for the student experience.”

Don Weinkauf believes in his students and the impact a St. Thomas Engineering education has on their future as engineers and beyond. He states, “All of the things that engineers do ultimately contribute to improving the lives of others. Inserting engineers who have developed themselves into being a whole person, with an understanding of others, an understanding of the human condition, this ultimately creates better results for all of society.”