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| Professor William Girouard of the Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering department will receive the George P. Hart Award for Outstanding Faculty Leadership at Fall Convocation. |
Professor of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering William F. (Bill) Girouard was selected for the George P. Hart Award for Outstanding Faculty Leadership for 2002-2003. Girouard received his award on Sept. 17 during the university's Fall Convocation.
“I'm humbled and delighted,” Girouard said. “I've been teaching since 1947 and to get something like this is really a culmination of a lot of years. I can't tell you how much it means to me and to my department.”
The Hart Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes faculty members who are regarded as role models and leaders, both on campus and in the community. The award was established in 1996 following the death of George P. Hart, a well-respected 30-year member of the Political Science department and an associate dean in the College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences. Hart had also served on the Academic Senate for 15 years.
The award committee noted that Girouard's involvement at Cal Poly Pomona has “greatly influenced the campus community.”
“Bill is highly respected and liked across the campus community. He has compassion, intellectual curiosity and unbound energy,” the committee wrote.
For 15 years, Girouard has been a member of the Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering department, where he is highly regarded by his peers and students.
“I can think of no faculty member who better emulates George's caring and sincere desire to assist colleagues toward achieving their highest levels of excellence than does Bill Girouard,” said Carl Rathmann, former associate dean of the College of Engineering.
Girouard's long and impressive list of academic activities illustrates his strong commitment to the learning process and the nurturing of intellectual curiosity. He has been the Industrial Engineering program coordinator for more than five years. The professor has also served as faculty adviser for the student chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers for more than 10 years.
Girouard has held positions on a variety of university committees, including four terms on the Academic Senate and more than five years as chair of the General Education Committee.
A former Marine Corps officer who served in World War II and the Korean War, Girouard, along with former Vice President for Student Affairs Gene Awakuni, initiated the campus's annual Veterans Day celebration. In addition, Girouard and his wife, Rita, have hosted a catered commencement reception at their home for the past 15 years, celebrating with IME department graduates.
“The students are the whole reason for the university, and I am here to assist them with their career,” said Girouard. “We've got one of the finest engineering schools in the country, and for me to be able to take part and put out engineers is so important. Therefore, I have a real joy in seeing our students perform so well.”
His awards and honors are just as noteworthy. Girouard became a fellow in the Institute for Engineering Advancement in 1984 and a fellow in the Institute of Industrial Engineers in 1972. He was named Adviser of the Year in 1995.
Girouard's enthusiasm to remain involved goes beyond the university campus. At home in South Pasadena, he has served for three years as secretary of the city's Planning Commission, and he is president of the local homeowner's association. He and his wife are also active in their church parish where they lead a neighborhood effort to help raise funds for the church's $19 million capital campaign.
“The day after Pearl Harbor (was attacked), I joined the Marine Corp because the country was at war and I thought it was important to get involved,” Girouard said. “From there on, I've been that way all my life. I've always been involved with things.”