If you have ever heard the phrase "an engineering and something more,” you might wonder where it came from. Well, meet Robert Kress, the longtime University of Iowa College of Engineering Advisory Board chair, who was inspired to create the axiom in a board meeting many years ago. Kress, the managing director, global quality and risk officer, and global delivery lead at Accenture, transitioned this year from his role as board chair after serving 23 years on the board, 16 years as chair.

“I am honored to have served in this role throughout the leadership of several deans,” said Kress. “I am proud of what the board has helped accomplish and am eager to remain engaged with the college’s research, strategic initiatives, and dynamic students.”

Kress might seem an unusual choice for board chair, given that he is not an engineer. Graduating with an MBA in 1981 from the UI Tippie College of Business, Kress always had an affinity for the UI campus and its students. A frequent visitor to the UI campus in recruiting students, Kress became a “campus champion” for Accenture, then called Anderson Consulting, as he spent time in Iowa City meeting with campus leadership, marketing, recruiting, presenting, and supporting student scholarships. It was during that time that he crossed paths with then-UI Engineering Dean Richard Miller, who asked Kress if he would serve on the college’s Advisory Board. 

“In the early 2000s and at least through 2016, we were one of the largest employers of engineering students,” said Kress. “So, my connection to engineering was somewhat of a natural fit. I also have a degree in physics, which has many overlaps with and uses in engineering.”

When asked what he sees as his most significant contributions in his time on the board, Kress points to developing plans for increasing undergraduate enrollment to keep the college competitive; positioning the college through a shared identity; and finding resources for renovations, improvements, and additions to the Seamans Center. In those initial years, the college’s enrollment was about 1000 students and grew to a peak of 2400 students. “An engineer and something more” represented a mindset that distinguished the UI College of Engineering from its peers. The latest addition to the Seamans Center, the Annex, houses new lab spaces, the Student Development Center, and modernized classrooms.

Going forward, Kress wants to focus on how graduate student enrollment can grow, how the college’s research strengths can be further emphasized, how undergraduate enrollment can expand to align with the college’s aspirations, and how the college can be a welcoming space for a diverse population of faculty, staff, and students.

“I plan on remaining active on the Advisory Board,” said Kress. “I am just as committed to the success and growth of this college as when I joined the board 23 years ago.”