Stephan Durham

Bulldog Engineers and Friends:

As I reflect on this past year serving as Interim Dean, I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to lead during such a pivotal and transformative time for our college. It has been an honor to serve in this role, and I am deeply appreciative of the trust placed in me.

I am especially thankful to our faculty, staff, students, and alumni—not only for your support of me personally, but for your unwavering dedication to the mission and vision of our college. Your commitment, creativity, and resilience have been the driving force behind our continued growth and success. Let’s keep it going!

Together, we have made remarkable strides. From launching innovative academic programs to expanding our research enterprise and strengthening our community partnerships, this year has been one of momentum, collaboration, and meaningful progress. We’ve not only built upon our strong foundation, but we’ve also laid the groundwork for an even more promising future.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together—milestones that reflect our shared values and aspirations. And while my time as Interim Dean is coming to a close, I remain energized and excited about where we’re headed. The future of our college is bright, and I look forward to continuing to support and champion our students, faculty, and staff as I return to my role as Assistant Dean for Student Success and Outreach.

I’ve included a statistical summary below to highlight some of our collective achievements. A few standouts include:

Enrollment:

• Our Fall 2024 enrollment surpassed 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students for the first time.
• We anticipate another record enrollment year with 957 new undergraduate students expected to join the college in the Fall 2025.  This is a 17% increase over Fall 2024 new students (819 total).

New degree programs:

• Established PhD programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
• Launched the new Online MS program in Civil Engineering.
• Now offering an undergraduate Certificate in Aerospace Engineering.

Research:

• FY25 Research Expenditures totaled $17.82M, which marks a 14.5% increase over FY24.
• FY25 Research Awarded Contracts totaled $26.21M, which double FY23 ($12.52M), creating a sustainable research pipeline.
• FY25 Research Proposed Amounts totaled $327.19M, marking a 26% increase over FY24.

Other notable achievements:

• Alex Orso was named the next dean of the college.
• Established the University of Georgia Academy of Engineering

Again, my sincerest thanks to the entire UGA Engineering community for your support over the past year. Now, I am honored to pass the baton to Dean Alex Orso!

Signing off with gratitude,

Stephan A. Durham, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
Interim Dean and Juneau Construction Company Professor in Civil Engineering
University of Georgia College of Engineering