Building on a Strong Foundation

Engineers understand the importance of foundations. Whether constructing a building, designing infrastructure, or developing a manufacturing system, success depends upon having a strong base on which to build. Without a solid foundation, even the most ambitious plans can struggle to endure. The same principle applies to academic programs and organizations.

The strong foundation that supports today's School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering (SEE) was built over many years through the vision, dedication, and leadership of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters. In 2002, Purdue established the Environment in Engineering Committee to explore how environmental challenges could be more fully integrated into engineering education. The committee's recommendations led to the creation of the Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering (a stand-alone academic unit within the College of Engineering) in 2006, and the program welcomed its first students just two years later.

The years that followed established many of the building blocks that would shape the school's future. In 2009, I was honored to be appointed as the first permanent Head of EEE. One year later, Fred and Barbara Fehsenfeld demonstrated their confidence in the program's future by establishing an endowment for the Headship. The BSEEE degree then progressed through a series of important authorizations, earning approval from the College of Engineering in 2011, the Purdue Board of Trustees in 2012, and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education later that same year. These milestones marked the formal establishment of a degree program designed to prepare engineers to address some of society's most pressing sustainability and environmental challenges.

The school's early momentum continued to grow. Ten students graduated as the inaugural BSEEE class in 2013, and enrollment reached 62 undergraduate students that fall. The program later welcomed its first graduate student cohort in 2016, achieved national Top 20 rankings in 2020, and ultimately transitioned to the School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering in 2025, marking the next chapter in a journey that began more than two decades ago.

Today, that foundation continues to support remarkable growth. Since spring 2013, the program has awarded 590 BSEEE degrees, including those first 10 graduates who became the program's inaugural alumni. More than half of SEE's undergraduate students are women, reflecting the school's longstanding commitment to broadening participation in engineering. In addition to the undergraduate degrees, we have also granted 232 graduate degrees since 2016. And to teach and mentor these students, SEE presently includes 17 tenure/tenure-track faculty, 3 professors of engineering practice, and a research professor. While some of these faculty now officially have SEE as their home, SEE also connects to seven other academic units that serve as faculty homes. These numbers tell a story of growth, but they also reflect something more important: a community that has steadily expanded its impact through education, research, and service.

Since its founding, SEE students, alumni, faculty and staff have earned recognition at the highest levels of academia, research and professional practice. Student honors have included National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, Gates Cambridge Scholarships, Udall Scholarships, Fulbright awards and national design competition victories, while graduates have gone on to leadership roles across industry, government, consulting, nonprofits and academia. Faculty have been recognized through election as Fellows of leading professional societies, including ASCE, AEESP, ASME, AAAS and SME, and have received prestigious honors and numerous national research, teaching and service distinctions. The accomplishments of the SEE community also include election to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the profession's highest honors, reflecting the school's enduring commitment to excellence and its growing impact on sustainability and environmental engineering worldwide.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to SEE's first 20 years. We look forward to building upon this foundation together.

I also hope you will join us as we celebrate this important milestone. Our 20th Anniversary Celebration will be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues, reflect on our shared accomplishments, and consider the exciting future ahead for SEE. It promises to be a memorable event, and I would be delighted to see you there.

RSVP for the 20th Anniversary Celebration!

Hail Purdue!

John W. Sutherland
Distinguished Professor and Fehsenfeld Family Head of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering