College of Engineering and Applied Sciences honors alumni at annual awards ceremony
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences is pleased to announce its 2025 Spire Award, Alumni Excellence Award and Emerging Alumni Award recipients.
“We are proud to welcome our 2025 Alumni Award recipients back to campus this homecoming weekend,” says Dr. Steve Butt, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “It’s an honor to celebrate their remarkable achievements and contributions, and to reconnect them with the exciting research and learning taking place today among our faculty and students.”
On Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences will honor 13 outstanding alumni. In addition to being celebrated at the awards ceremony, recipients are featured on the Wall of Fame in Floyd Hall, home to the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
2025 Alumni Award Recipients
Spire Award
Margean Victoria Gladysz, B.S.E.’75
Alumni Excellence Award
- Rodney Burkhardt, B.S.’97
- Thomas David, B.S.E.’00
- Richard Helbling, B.S.’67
- Bahman Hoveida, B.S.E.’79
- Ganesh Kirti, M.S.’93
- James Scigliano, B.S.’89
- Kamlesh Suthar, M.S.’04, Ph.D.’09
Emerging Alumni Award
- Matthew Baird, B.S.M.E.’16, Ph.D.’20
- Edward Brabandt, B.S.’09
- Aaron Dean, B.S.’15, M.S.’17
- Amber Johnson, B.S.E’18
- Andrew Schipper, B.S.E.’14
Learn more about our 2025 Alumni Award recipients.
The Spire Award celebrates one outstanding alum who represents the best of the best, having achieved exceptional success in their field and significant influence on young Bronco engineers. The award recipient is selected from previous Alumni Excellence Award winners.
The Alumni Excellence Award honors an elite group of alumni for their achievements in their profession and contributions to their field. These awardees were selected from the departments they graduated from. Recipients of the Emerging Alumni Awards demonstrate continuous career growth and have a minimum of five years of professional experience in an engineering field and graduated less than 15 years ago.
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