Campaign Newsletter DECEMBER 2025
Our Next BOLD Step: Together As I conclude my service as president of MSOE, I want to personally thank you for the partnerships and generosity that have shaped this remarkable university during my tenure. Over the past nine years, we have become a more inclusive and welcoming community, and we have strengthened the student experience with spaces designed for hands-on learning, collaboration and discovery. Today, the Next Bold Step: MSOE’s Campaign to Accelerate Innovation is positioning MSOE for an even stronger future. The new Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center—along with the campaign’s investments in scholarships, faculty excellence and student support—will transform what is possible for our students and our region. As you read this first edition of the Next Bold Step campaign newsletter, I hope you feel proud of the progress you have helped us achieve. Your support has been essential to MSOE’s success—and it will be just as vital as the university enters its next chapter. Thank you for your trust, your leadership and your unwavering belief in MSOE. It has been the privilege of my career to serve this extraordinary community. ohn Walz, Ph.D. J MSOE President
CELEBRATING A TRANSFORMATIVE GIFT
Melitta S. Pick Charitable Trust Invests $500,000 in the Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center The Melitta S. Pick Charitable Trust has made a generous $500,000 commitment to the Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center, further accelerating the momentum of MSOE’s Next Bold Step campaign. Inspired by the transformative work underway across campus, the Trust’s leadership shared that they were particularly motivated by MSOE’s drive to become a national leader in applied artificial intelligence education. This impactful gift will be recognized with the naming of a 40-seat classroom and the UX senior design space on the Engineering Innovation Center’s second floor—two areas central to hands-on learning, collaboration and student innovation. By supporting these dynamic learning environments, the Melitta S. Pick Charitable Trust is helping empower the next generation of engineers, designers and AI innovators. Their commitment aligns deeply with MSOE’s vision to shape the future of engineering and transform the way students learn, create and lead.
THE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT
INSIDE AI
A Conversation with Dr. Chris GauthierDickey Dr. Chris GauthierDickey stepped into his new role in August as head of the Dwight and Dian Diercks School of Advanced Computing and the Direct Supply Chair of Applied AI and Software Innovation. A nationally recognized leader in computing education, he brings a distinguished record of academic leadership, groundbreaking research and a passion for shaping the future of applied AI. We sat down with Dr. GauthierDickey to learn more about his vision, priorities and the direction for the school. What is your vision for the Diercks School of Advanced Computing and what about leading this school excites you most? My vision is for the Diercks School of Advanced Computing to be a national leader in applied AI education—where students feel that they belong, learn by doing and tackle real problems alongside faculty and industry partners. I want our graduates to be known not just for deep technical skill rooted in AI, but for knowing how to apply AI thoughtfully and responsibly and for impacting our communities and companies in very positive ways. What excites me most is how our impact can ripple outward. Within MSOE, our school can integrate across programs more deeply so students in engineering, nursing, business and all disciplines gain hands-on, useful AI experience. In Milwaukee, we expand our partnerships with companies and community organizations to help them adopt these technologies. And nationally, I want us to be a model for how applied AI education is done best: both rigorous and accessible, both innovative and inclusive. As a first-generation Latinx college graduate, you have been an advocate for inclusive computing education. Your work co-leading a multi-institutional, NSF-funded initiative to redesign undergraduate curricula to foster belonging and broaden participation in computer science and engineering resulted in significant gains in retention. How do you intend to apply these insights at MSOE? The most important thing we learned is simple but powerful: students need to feel like they belong if we want them to stay and succeed. That’s true in every STEM field.
At MSOE, I’ll apply this by being intentional about how we design courses, develop new curricula, mentor students and build community. I’ve experienced that feeling of being an outsider at school and know what a powerful deterrent it can be to success. My goal is for the school to be a place where every student, regardless of background, can thrive and see a future for themselves in technology. How do you see the Next Bold Step: The Campaign to Accelerate Innovation supporting the future of your program, playing a role in the expansion of AI and the important initiatives you are hoping to accomplish as head of the Diercks School of Advanced Computing? The Next Bold Step campaign gives us the resources to lead in an area that will shape nearly every industry: applied AI. The Diercks School of Advanced Computing sits at the center of that vision. The new Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center will be transformative for MSOE. It’s designed to bring disciplines together—with flexible labs, collaborative spaces and AI workshops where students can work side-by-side on real problems. That physical space will make us a hub for interdisciplinary, hands-on learning, both within MSOE and with our industry partners. Campaign support also allows us to grow faculty expertise, develop cutting-edge curriculum, deepen our corporate and community connections and expand scholarships. By investing in both the technology and the people, donors help us shape not just what AI can do— but who gets to be part of building that future.
MEASURING OUR MOMENTUM* *as of Dec. 1, 2025
CAMPAIGN TOTALS BY PRIORITY
Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center $64,045,278
Scholarships — $9,404,389
1,266
General Excellence — $5,273,643 Scholarships — $9,404,389
1,4
Faculty Support — $6,741,000
1,2
00 00 00
1,0
General Excellence — $5,273,643 Unrestricted & General Operating $5,830,691
0
80
0
60
Faculty Support — $6,741,000 Other Capital — $2,630,675
0
40
0
Unrestricted & General Operating Student$5,830,691 Support — $1,259,395
Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center $64,045,278 759
589 493 368
290 203
221
FY 24
FY 25
184
507
101 83 FY26
TOTAL
20
0
PROGRESS TO GOAL
Other Capital — $2,630,675
$1,000+ GIFT —COUNTS Student Support $1,259,395
$125,000,000
1,266 1,4
00
0
0 1,0
0
80
0
60
0
40
00
2
0
$29,814,929
0M
759
00
1,2
0M
14
0M
589
10
368
80
493 290
12
203
221
FY 24
FY 25
n $5,000+
n $1K—4.9K
M
184 101 83 FY26
0M
6
TOTAL 1,000+
$12,454,722 $95,185,071
507
TOTAL
$76,500,000
$64,045,278
$48,500,000 $17,360,207
M
40
M
20
0
$31,139,793 KERN EIC BUIDING
OTHER
n DOLLARS RAISED
TOTAL
n REMAINING
GOAL
$125,000,000
14
FUELING INNOVATION: A GIFT TO MSOE 0M 0M
12
$29,814,929 James Matejka ’59, ’62 Creates Opportunity for Future Raiders
In a final and extraordinary act of generosity, alumnus James “Jim” Matejka ’59, ’62 has directed a portion of his estate to$76,500,000 MSOE—ensuring that generations of Raiders will have the opportunity to pursue excellence and achieve $12,454,722 their dreams. M
0M
10
80
His planned gift of more than $750,000 establishes the James R. Matejka Endowed Scholarship, which will support $95,185,071 M students across all engineering disciplines at MSOE, opening doors for future innovators, problem-solvers $48,500,000 60 $64,045,278 and leaders. $17,360,207 M 0 4 Matejka, who passed away in $31,139,793 April 2025, leaves behind a legacy defined by service, gratitude and an unwavering M
20
commitment to his community. Those who knew him say his motivation for giving back was both simple and KERN EIC BUIDING OTHER TOTAL profound: he wanted to “take care of my school like they took care of me.”
0 Through this remarkable gift, Matejka’s spirit of generosity will continue to shape lives and propel MSOE forward for
generations to come. Read more of Jim Matejka’s story at nextboldstep.msoe.edu/impact
Office of University Advancement Milwaukee School of Engineering 1025 N. Broadway Milwaukee, WI 53202-3109 (414) 277-4510
JOIN THE JOURNEY
NEXT BOLD STEP CAMPAIGN KEY DATES April 16, 2026
MSOE Annual Giving Day
April 20–25, 2026
A.I. Week
April 24, 2026
MSOE Presidential Inauguration
nextboldstep.msoe.edu