It’s now the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering at the University of Utah.
Richard Brown, current dean, said the Price gift and naming are “transformational” — an “inflection point in the college’s ascent.”
I hope so.
John Price, in addition to his many other accomplishments, served as U.S. ambassador to Mauritius, Comoros and the Seychelles – three island nations in the Indian Ocean. Price served from 2002-2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. At that time we were well aware of climate change and sea level rise due mainly to fossil fuel use.
Today, some 20 years later, we nearly all recognize the immediate existential threat to our civilization of global warming and climate change. The nations least able to cope are the small island nations, three of which hosted Price as their ambassador.
No one at the Price naming event noted the key engineering and socio-political problem of our time – no one mentioned climate change, global warming, sea level rise, severe weather.
No one. Not President Randall, not Dean Brown. Not even John Price.
They all should know better.
“Transformational” apparently does not mean addressing the survival of civilization itself.
I assume that the Prices may have some grandchildren who are aware and concerned. They should speak up.
There are some aware students at the University of Utah — they should speak up.
There are even some aware faculty — they should also speak up.
The Price gift is a unique opportunity to indeed transform a traditional College of Engineering.
It will require many aware voices for that to happen.
Joseph Andrade, former dean, University of Utah College of Engineering, 1983-87, Salt Lake City
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