Vince Rodriguez. Submitted photo
The School of Engineering presented the Engineer of Service Award to two engineering alumni who have repeatedly looked for ways to contribute to their alma mater.
Vince Rodriguez (BSEE 94, MS 96, PhD 99) and Dallas Baker (BSME 93, MS 97) received the honor during virtual School of Engineering award ceremonies in the spring. Rodriguez is a senior staff engineer and chamber engineer group manager at NSI-MI Technologies in Atlanta. Baker is general manager of the Johnson-McAdams Firm, P.A. in Greenwood.
Dallas Baker at the Great Wall of China. Submitted photo
“I was never in a position to giving monetary gifts to the university,” Rodriguez said. “The only asset I had that I could donate was my time, and I think that is an important asset that people do not often think about. This recognition was very meaningful because it said, ‘We appreciate what you have done for the school.’”
Baker, who beside his degrees from UM also received an MBA from Mississippi College, expressed similar sentiments for his award.
“The Engineer of Service Award, to me, has been reserved for men and women who have given time and talents in the service to the School of Engineering in sustained and profound ways,” Baker said. “To be recognized among them is humbling.”
Engineering Dean Dave Puleo said the two honorees are most deserving of their awards.
“Dallas and Vince have not only achieved excellence in their professions, but they have tirelessly served the school,” Puleo said. “They are great ambassadors for Ole Miss Engineering.”
Rodriguez began trying to help the electrical engineering department a few years after his graduation.
“When I would come to Oxford to visit, I would bring prototype antennas that I had designed and give them to Dr. (Atef) Elsherbeni for use in his classes,” he said. “I would also try to give seminars to the graduate-level students on the work that I was doing.”
At one point, he saw an opportunity to donate a used shielded room. The company representative who came up with the room wanted to give it to Oklahoma State, but Rodriguez pushed for it to go to Ole Miss.
“I got in touch with Dr. Elsherbeni, and, in the end, the room made it here,” he said. “Incidentally, this was what was known as a State Department room. These were shipped around the world and installed inside hotel rooms, providing an acoustic and electromagnetic isolated room for secret meetings.”
Following that donation, Rodriguez donated his time to help Elsherbeni turn it into a shielded anechoic room.
“Dr Elsherbeni used one of the donated antennas that I had given them as the range antenna for the room,” Rodriguez said. “The room is there in the Carrier-Anderson corridor lined with RF absorber, and it is used for doing small antenna measurements.”
Because of Rodriguez’s involvement, Elsherbeni asked him to be part of the Ole Miss Engineering advisory board in 2012. Since then, Rodriguez has donated his time to go to meetings and try to help improve the school.
Baker comes from a long list of family members who have attended and worked at Ole Miss.
“My mother, Shelly, worked in the Alumni Association staff for years,” he said. “My sister Diane made her mark at the School of Journalism. My father, John, retired as a professor in the School of Pharmacy. I wanted to leave my own legacy, and my degrees from Ole Miss served as the foundation upon which my career was built.”
Since 2016, Baker has served on the School of Engineering’s advisory group, newly reconfigured as the Engineering Advisory and Advancement Council. As chairman, his tenure has allowed him to participate in strategic planning that involved meaningful interaction with students, faculty, alumni and Lyceum administrators with the goal of advising and advocating for the advancement of the school.
“One of the most enjoyable ways I’ve supported Ole Miss Engineering is being a guest lecturer in ENGR 400: Leadership & Professionalism,” Baker said. “The course objective is to ‘introduce students to leadership and entrepreneurial skills necessary for today’s engineering industry.’ Exceptional leadership skill building is what sets Ole Miss Engineering apart and builds influence beyond engineering practice. Among students and in my travels, I try to be an ambassador to the School of Engineering wherever I go.”
Rodriguez and Baker urged fellow alumni who might not be able to give monetarily to consider other options.
“(Money) is important, but it is not the only thing that you can donate,” Rodriguez said. “Donate your time. Help the school in recruiting, help the school by putting faculty in touch with sources of research funding. Volunteer to give lectures on specific topics. Try to get your company to donate equipment and/or services. There are lots of ways to help the school.”
Baker said Covid-19 restrictions have increased the cost of delivering effective education services, whether providing a safe environment for classrooms or for laboratory and research facilities that accommodate social-distancing measures.
“Supporting Ole Miss Engineering sends a message to students and faculty that they can count on others to get through this difficult time,” Baker said.