John Frey has been named interim executive director of the Minnesota Center for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence by Minnesota State University, Mankato President Richard Davenport.
Davenport also transferred responsibility for oversight of the center to Minnesota State Mankato’s Division of Strategic Business, Education & Regional Partnerships, led by Vice President Robert Hoffman.
The center is a consortium of academic institutions, with Minnesota State Mankato as the lead member. It partners with six two-year colleges located throughout Minnesota and serves as a first-contact resource for industry, providing continuing education, emerging technology and future worker development.
“Strong partnerships between higher education and industry are critical to the continued success of Minnesota manufacturers and service providers,” Davenport said. “Dr. Frey’s 40 years of leadership in partnership-building will ensure that MNCEME continues to strengthen those relationships.”
“And I will be closely involved in further developing relationships with the other MNCEME presidents,” Davenport said.
For the last year Frey has been interim director of the International Renewable Energy Technology Institute of Minnesota, as well as director of business partnerships for Minnesota State Mankato’s Division of Strategic Business, Education & Regional Partnerships.
Before that he served for 37 years as a faculty member and dean of Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Science, Engineering & Technology. He has actively sought and obtained grants, led successful campaigns for state and federal appropriations, and developed millions of dollars worth of contracts and private donations for science, engineering and technology research and education.
Earlier this year Frey and his wife, Anne, created the Anne and John Frey Renewable Energy/Bio Products Research Endowment – one of only a handful of undergraduate sustainable energy research funds in the nation. The endowment provides $3,000 each year to a student who conducts applied, faculty-mentored research in biomass energy.
The Minnesota Center for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence was created in 2005 by the Minnesota Legislature to bring education partners together with industry, to encourage students to pursue engineering and technical occupations, and to help ensure that graduating engineers and technicians are steeped in cutting-edge, “best-practice” skills and knowledge demanded by Minnesota manufacturers.
Email this article | Permanent link | Topstories news | Topstories news archives
Minnesota State
University, Mankato
Mankato, MN 56001
1-800-722-0544
© 2005-2013 Minnesota State University, Mankato. Minnesota State University, Mankato is a member of
Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system and an affirmative action/equal opportunity university.
