Throughout my time at Missouri S&T, Dr. Chris Ramsay, MetE’83, MS MetE’85, continually challenged me and fellow members of Pi Kappa Alpha to be better men, and to become an integral part of the university and the Rolla community. He is a central part of the continued success of Missouri S&T’s PiKA chapter. He encourages the chapter to think strategically, to develop a road map, and to manage by tracking progress to milestones. We all use these important lessons after graduation. Ramsay is a firm believer that the fraternity is a proving ground for the development of the leadership skills that are required for success in today’s global marketplace.

Ramsay serves many functions in a typical day. He teaches at Missouri S&T, owns and operates Ramsay Scientific Inc., and is chapter adviser to the Alpha Kappa chapter of PiKA, a role he has served in since 1994.

Each of these roles is important, but the role of mentor and friend has had the most impact on me and my fraternity brothers. Ramsay always makes himself available to us. He provides advice and encouragement to chapter members on any number of subjects and exudes a quiet confidence that is respected by everyone. He has the patience to nurture young men seeking personal growth, self-esteem, and sense of belonging, acting as a role model that anyone would be wise to emulate. I can only hope that I will have as large an impact on an organization and its members as Ramsay has had with PiKA at Missouri S&T.

Kurt Haslag, CE’07, was active in the Missouri S&T student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, taking two trips to developing countries, and was a founding member of Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow. He works for R.G. Brinkmann Constructors in Colorado, where he actively recruits young alumni to join Rocky Mountain Section events.