Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth has officially announced establishment of the Charles E. Hutchinson '68A Professorship in Innovation funded by a gift from John H. Krehbiel Jr. The professorship is intended to "recognize and reward members of the faculty whose teaching is true to the highest standards of Dartmouth's educational mission and whose scholarship has contributed significantly to the advancement of interdisciplinary knowledge" — as well as to honor the achievements of Professor and Dean Emeritus Charles Hutchinson.
Hutchinson served as dean of Thayer School from 1984 until 1994, and again from 1997 to 1998. Throughout his deanship, the Thayer School Board of Overseers was chaired by Krehbiel, and the two men worked closely together during a period of growth and innovation in Dartmouth's engineering program.
Dean Hutchinson ("Hutch") oversaw a major facilities renovation to Cummings Hall in the late 1980s, leading the effort to raise $40 million for the engineering school. He established the Master of Engineering Management (M.E.M.) program, with an innovative curriculum that immerses students in an integrated approach to the engineering design and technology management processes.
As Dean, Emeritus, and the John H. Krehbiel, Sr. Professor for Emerging Technologies, Hutch directed the M.E.M. program and developed and taught courses in electrical engineering, design, Total Quality Management, and emerging technologies. In 2000, with Professor Tillman U. Gerngross, Hutch founded the biotechnology company GlycoFi, which quickly became a leader in the field of yeast glycoengineering and optimization of biologic drug molecules. Hutch served as CEO of GlycoFi, Inc. until it was acquired in spring 2006 by Merck. Now "retired" for the fourth or fifth time, Hutch is returning once again to teaching and will develop another new course in technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship for Dartmouth engineering students.
Thayer School's program prepares graduates who are grounded in both the theoretical and practical aspects of engineering, and thus requires faculty who are both top researchers and excellent teachers. The new professorship will help the School continue to recruit and retain faculty who can contribute to the School's curricular development and the educational experience of engineering students in measures equal to Hutch's contributions.
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