糖心vlog

Steve Howell鈥檚 four decades in engineering education began with his use of a slide rule and a $400 Texas Instruments pocket calculator and concludes with him watching students utilize laser cutters, implement virtual reality and harness the power and versatility of computers.

Howell retires June 30 as dean of the at 糖心vlog. He has helped build and lead a school that boasts a tremendous employment rate after graduation, a half-century tradition of career-enhancing cooperative education work and ground-breaking diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

He has been a college student, professor, provost, president, dean鈥攁nd a unifying campus presence.

鈥淲e are like a family at Pacific and it is very difficult to say goodbye to so many people via Zoom. This has been the strangest, weirdest year possible to end a career,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淏ut it was memorable in other ways. I taught a PACS (general education) class this year, and it was my first time back in the classroom in 10 years 鈥� I will leave here with so many great memories.鈥�

鈥淪teve has provided stability and has moved the school forward,鈥� said Jose Hernandez 鈥�84, a former NASA astronaut and icon of the engineering and computer science school. 鈥淭he faculty and staff are so engaged in doing all they can to help students.鈥�

Howell came 鈥渇ull circle鈥� in second Pacific stint

Howell鈥檚 career path has brought him to Pacific and the Stockton Campus twice.

In 1983, fresh off his doctorate at age 29, Howell became a founding member of Pacific鈥檚 mechanical engineering department. Among the other stops in his career were Northern Arizona University as a professor, Lawrence Technological University in Michigan as associate provost and dean of graduate programs, and the Ford Motor Company as a design engineer and consultant. From 2010 to 2013, he was vice chancellor (president) and founding provost at the new in Africa.

鈥淚 had a wonderful experience at Pacific the first time, but I never imagined that I would come back here at some point,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Botswana, they asked if I wanted to extend my contract. It was a very rewarding experience there, but I wanted to come back to the United States. I sent applications to various universities and I was contacted by Pacific. I came home for Christmas in 2012 and took a detour to visit the campus and interview. Stepping back on campus, so much that I saw was the way I had remembered it. I thought 鈥榃ow, this is a place I鈥檇 like to be.鈥� It worked out and I came full circle.鈥�

Innovative programs and a commitment to students

Howell鈥檚 tenure as dean has been marked by innovation, creativity, consistency and caring. Pacific was ranked the No. 60 undergraduate engineering program in the country by U.S. News & World Report in 2021.

The school鈥檚 places students with firms for experiential learning. Dean Robert Heyborne started the program in 1969.

鈥淭he school was kind of floundering and a niche was needed,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淒ean Heyborne started the Co-Op program and it set us apart from engineering schools at other universities. After graduation, with the experience they gain, students are able to hit the ground running. We have maintained our focus on the program and it continues to grow.鈥�

The program contributes to the school鈥檚 job-placement rate after graduation鈥�98%.

鈥淲e take pride in that job-placement rate,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淢ore than half of those who take part in the Co-Op program are offered jobs by their firms,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey may or may not take the jobs because many have multiple offers and some take a gap year off.鈥�

Under Howell鈥檚 leadership, the school was the first at Pacific to appoint a diversity coordinator. All of Pacific鈥檚聽schools and colleges now have diversity, equity and inclusion leads.

鈥淒iversity by race and by gender is essential in engineering and computer science,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淲e have five children and one, my daughter Rachel, went into engineering (mechanical). She is a woman in a male-dominated field and she had to be really tough. She recently defended her dissertation in Holland and I was able to watch it virtually.鈥�

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 personal to get more women and people of color in the field. Diverse teams create more innovative and creative solutions. And everything in engineering is now done in teams. You won鈥檛 find one engineer working by themselves. Diversity, equity and inclusion is needed, and it is also very important from a business perspective.鈥�

聽Hernandez said the Co-Op program makes Pacific unique from many other engineering schools.

聽鈥淪tudents basically enter their careers with a year of experience and that makes such a difference,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淪teve has been a real proponent for the program and the impact it has on students when they enter the workforce.鈥�

Riding into retirement

Yes, the motorcycles must be mentioned. Howell鈥檚 was featured recently in the school magazine, 鈥淭he Rock.鈥�

Over the years he has owned a Honda, a Harley-Davidson and, currently, a Kawasaki touring bike鈥攁ppropriately, a Pacific burnt orange color. 鈥淗e must be all right if he rides a bike,鈥� joked Hernandez, himself a motorcycle rider.

Howell will take that motorcycle to Bend, Oregon, where he and wife Debi plan to retire. They have adult children on the West Coast and a granddaughter in Washington state.

The myriad outdoor activities in and around Bend make it an ideal place for Howell to retire. He already is contemplating hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing and more. He also hopes to be back in Stockton for Homecoming in October.

Howell retires 鈥渧ery pleased鈥� with where the school stands and confident that his successor, Elizabeth Orwin from Harvey Mudd College, will 鈥渢ake us to great places.鈥�

鈥淲e had many great plans, and COVID-19 upset some of those. But the long-term prognosis is great,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淵ou look at how we are getting through this pandemic and a lot of it is because of science and technology. I tell students this is the ideal time to go into science. The opportunities that are in front of us are amazing.鈥�

Pacific establishes The Howell Fund

Pacific has started the 鈥淪teve Howell Fund for Initiatives in Diversity and Experiential Learning鈥濃�攁lso called 鈥淭he Howell Fund.鈥� The fund will directly support the school鈥檚 Co-Op program and initiatives involving diversity, equity and inclusion.

Mail: Make checks payable to 糖心vlog/Howell Fund, and mail to Advancement Services, 糖心vlog, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton CA 95211.

Online:

Phone: Call 209.946.2643, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT