Alumnus wins Champion of Engineering Education award
Dr. Don Whitmore, P.Eng., founder of Vector Construction Ltd., has been an outstanding champion of the Faculty of Engineering for many years. A graduate of Civil Engineering at the University of Manitoba in 1959, Don has always remembered where he got his start and believes in giving back.
For several years he served as the Chair of ISIS Canada Research network, (Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures). The network, headquartered at the University of Manitoba, was established in 1995 to advance the civil engineering profession in Canada to a world leadership position through the use of advance composite materials and the application of structural health monitoring (SHM) to civil infrastructure, such as bridges. Don’s service to this project contributed greatly to its success.
During the Building on Strengths Capital campaign to raise money for the Engineering & Information Technology Complex, Don served as the Chair of the Construction Committee, the most successful committee in the campaign. During the Faculty’s centennial year, Don served on the planning committee and was instrumental in making the event the “Party of the Century”.
More recently, Don was the driving force behind the formation of The Friends of Engineering (Manitoba) Inc., a unique group of top engineering industry leaders who share the U of M Faculty of Engineering’s commitment to excellence in engineering education. Friends, an external organization created to advance the Faculty’s strategic development beyond what can be accomplished with public funding, has approximately 70 members comprised of senior-level executives and leaders who understand the importance of a having a strong, mutually beneficial relationship between all sectors of the engineering profession and the world-class engineering school that serves it’s education and research needs.
Don, along with other members of the Friends Board, met with members of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board visiting team during the Faculty of Engineering’s latest accreditation process, and the team was impressed with the level of industry support and collaboration the Faculty enjoys.
Whenever asked, Don has always been ready, willing and able to lend a hand to the Faculty of Engineering. He has been and continues to be a constant and wise advisor, and has arguably contributed more to the health of our Faculty over the last 20 years than any other member of our professional community.
In 2005 Don was given the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Manitoba. This award is the highest honour bestowed upon an individual by the University of Manitoba’s Board of Governors, and is awarded on the basis of distinguished contributions to the province. Mr. Whitmore is an exemplary leader of the Canadian engineering, construction and business communities and an outstanding Champion of Engineering Education.
The APEGM, together with the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba, was pleased to award the 2013 Champion of Engineering Education award to Dr. Don Whitmore in October of 2013.