“Why did you choose to attend MSM-UMR-Missouri S&T?”

Historian Larry Gragg, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of history and political science, posed this question to Miner alumni this past fall. Here are a few of your answers:

It was close to home and had a stellar reputation. Also, my high school trig and calculus teacher had a degree from there and talked it up, telling us we’d never make it there. I was, of course, driven to prove him wrong. He may have been recruiting with reverse psychology.

Lori (Bartlett) Davis, CSci’83
Ballwin, Mo.

Great engineering program and when I took my first tour, it felt like home! I wanted to be surrounded by other people who were eager to learn, grow and be challenged.

Lacey Reames, CE’12
Belleville, Ill.

I chose to attend UMR (now Missouri S&T) in 1997 because it was (and still is) the most challenging and prestigious public university in Missouri.

Cori (Lock) Nelson, MgtSys’02
Leawood, Kan.

During a sixth-grade math competition, my teacher said I should consider being an engineer. I was crushed, wondering why he thought I should drive a train! I shrugged it off until career day with the microfiche. At the time I thought that making $60K a year I would buy a Jaguar XJS.

Bart Shivers, EE’92, MS EMgt’98
Wylie, Texas

I attended an eight-week National Science Foundation program at Rolla during the summer of 1960. One of our classes was taught by Dr. Ed Lorey, professor emeritus of ceramic engineering. He was a great teacher who convinced me that ceramic engineering was the field for me. Plus, I loved the campus. I applied for admission that fall, entered in the fall of 1961 and stayed all the way through a Ph.D. in 1968. Attending Rolla (MSM in those days) was the best decision I ever made.

James E. Shelby, CerE’65, MS CerE’66, PhD CerE’68
Bridgewater, N.J.

I was invited to attend a youth dinner hosted by various faculty when I was in sixth grade. The focus was on getting more children engaged in STEM earlier. Following that dinner I was hooked. Took multiple drafting and CAD classes in high school and went on to UMR. I own my own engineering consulting business now.

Tim Peters, AE’10
Derby, Kan.

Legacy — I’m third generation, No. 14, if I counted right, in my family to attend. I knew I wanted engineering, and obviously my family knows where to go.

Brian Sandhaus, MinE’09
York, Pa.

ROI. Period. End of story.

Joshua Young, CE’08, ArchE’08
St. Louis