In Memoriam: Dr. Robert Kern

Milwaukee School of Engineering is mourning the loss of MSOE Regent Robert Kern. Dr. Kern passed away on Nov. 8, 2022 at the age of 96. He served MSOE as a member of the Board of Regents since 1992. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the university and is a member of MSOE’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Words cannot express how honored we are to have known Bob Kern and to have learned from and been inspired by him,” said Dr. John Walz, MSOE president. “Dr. Kern’s entrepreneurial values have been instilled in MSOE and live on in the MSOE Mindset due to the support he provided the university and the example he set throughout his lifetime. His and Patricia’s dedication has been transformational for our university, enabling us to offer our students world-class experiences both in and out of the classroom.”

Bob and his wife Patricia Kern founded Generac Power Systems in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1959 out of their garage with five employees and grew it into a 2,000-person operation with facilities in Wisconsin, the Midwest and overseas. The company produces generators for industrial and consumer markets. When the company was sold, they established the Kern Family Foundation.

The Kerns led the Kern Family Foundation for many years and are longtime supporters of MSOE and its scholarship programs. They were firm believers in fostering citizens of good character and supporting the well-being and development of students as a whole.

The Kern Family Foundation focuses on initiatives that have long-term systemic impact. The foundation helped establish Project Lead The Way, the nation’s leading K–12 STEM curriculum. The foundation also encourages engineering students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset through the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) at dozens of engineering schools (including MSOE).

They were instrumental in the creation of MSOE’s MBA in Education Leadership and the Bachelor of Science in BioMolecular Engineering and its affiliated laboratories. They also supported the development of the CREATE Institute which encourages growth of the MSOE Mindset in undergraduates. The mindset is an assimilation of the Servant-Leader Mindset, the Entrepreneurial Mindset, and MSOE’s strategic plan, mission, vision, values and commitments. It identifies graduates as leaders of character; responsible professionals; passionate learners; and value creators.

As word spread of Dr. Kern’s passing, messages of condolence and tribute were shared by friends and MSOE alumni on the university’s social media channels.

The Kern Family’s support of MSOE was true leadership and foundational in the campus as I knew it and how others have for decades,” said Peter Feilen ’09. “Hats off to their leadership! May they rest in peace.

Thanks to the Kerns’ generosity, MSOE built the Kern Center, a health, wellness, fitness and recreation facility. They also supported the construction of Pamela and Hermann Viets Field. These facilities are home to several of MSOE’s varsity, club and intramural sports teams and campus recreation.

“There were many things [the Kerns] did as well which made MSOE student life better, such as offering tickets to the Generac race at Road America,” said Josh Luther ’10. “My sympathy to the Kern family and I hope that they are able to take peace in knowing that Dr. Robert Kern made a lasting impression on an incredible number of people.”

Hermann Viets Tower

Recently, MSOE was able to completely renovate and expand one of its residence halls with support from the Kern Family Foundation. The facility was transformed into a living-learning community (LLC) and reopened as Hermann Viets Tower. The LLC encourages academic success and gives students with similar academic, social and personal interests the opportunity to live together, collaborate and share experiences.

“The Kerns and the Kern Family Foundation have been instrumental in supporting the development and growth of new academic programs at MSOE as well as curricular and co-curricular opportunities for faculty and staff to foster the MSOE Mindset in our students through project-based experiential learning. We will always be grateful for the incredible impact that Dr. Kern had on MSOE’s academic enterprise,” said Dr. Eric Baumgartner, executive vice president of academics.

MSOE is forever thankful for the generosity and support of Drs. Robert and Patricia Kern and the Kern Family Foundation. Their impact is visible on campus in a major way:

• Kern Center

• Pamela and Hermann Viets Field

• Hermann Viets Tower

• MSOE Annual Fund

• Kern Family Foundation Scholarship

• MBA in Education Leadership

• Bachelor of Science in BioMolecular Engineering

• Biomolecular engineering and chemistry laboratories

• CREATE Institute

• MSOE Mindset

Pamela and Hermann Viets Field can be seen in the foreground, next to the Kern Center.

Drs. Robert and Patricia Kern at Viets Field in 2013