Summer 2005
Slide Rule Dinner honors outstanding students, faculty and alumni
The College of Engineering & Science held its 73rd Annual Slide Rule Dinner, April 2 at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Highlights of the evening included special recognition of students, faculty and alumni. Frank McKulka ’67, retired executive vice president of BASF Corporation and president of its NAFTA II Region, and James Connelly ’64, ’68, director of Regional Relations at DTE Energy, were recognized as alumni of the year in science and engineering, respectively (see related articles).
Visit the event’s photo gallery to view the evening’s highlights.
Science Alumnus of the Year: Frank Mckulka ’67
Science Alumnus of the Year Frank McKulka ’67 (left) and E&S Dean Leo Hanifin.
In addition to corporate roles in finance, marketing and management, he served on the Board of the National Paint & Coatings Association, which in 2004 presented him its highest honor, the George Baugh Heckel Award. He also served on the Executive Committee of the American Plastics Council.
McKulka counts his involvement with CLEARCorps, which seeks to eliminate lead from urban homes, as one of the highlights of his career and life. He also served with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Appreciative of his “Science Alumnus of the Year” honor, he credits UDM with providing him with “an underlying set of Jesuit values that reinforced those provided by my family, the analytical thought processes that allowed me to sort through complex issues, and a sense of community.”
He adds, “I have very fond memories of working with Father Hughes (now deceased) on the Town and Gown series, 8 a.m. poetry class with Joyce Carol Oates, organic chemistry and the St. Francis Club.”
Following retirement, he and wife Pam moved to the Seattle area. They have two grown sons and are proud grandparents.
Engineering Alumnus of the Year: James Connelly ’64, ’68
Engineering Alumnus of the Year James Connelly ’64, ’68 (left) and E&S Dean Leo Hanifin.
Connelly decided to attend the University because “of its highly regarded Engineering College and it was a short walk from home to class.” He recalls, “The University was the center of our community and, at the time, one of the largest Catholic universities in the world.”
As a commuter student, he got his first taste of living with other students during his co-op placement in Dayton, OH. “The co-op experience gave me a jump start once I graduated. I wasn’t awed when I entered the work world.”
Connelly earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering and an MBA at the University.
Of his lifelong career at DTE Energy, he says, “I’ve always been involved in emergency operations -- storm restoration, fires and explosions, tornadoes, the black out (of 2003). I feel right in the middle of things.”
In 1999, he received the Detroit Edison Sara Sheridan Award for providing exceptional customer service. His current role as director of Regional Relations finds him negotiating and cooperating with local officials, and sometimes corporate critics, across the state.
He also has maintained roles with the Engineering Society of Detroit and diverse community organizations, including Starfish Family Services for abused children; the Metropolitan Affairs Council, in which business, labor and government address regionwide issues; the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services; and other organizations that foster continuing education and career advancement.
Connelly remains active as a member of UDM’s College of Engineering & Science Advisory Council. The father of four children, including a UDM School of Dentistry alumnus, he has assisted in coaching 19 soccer teams.
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