Q&A with Dr. Terry Pilling

Dr. Terry Pilling’s career has taken him all over the world. He currently serves as the dean of the School of Engineering at Mary, but before that, he lived in many places, including Canada, Australia, London, Hawaii, and Russia.

Pilling was instrumental in the creation of the School of Engineering, helping write the curriculum, recruit the professors, and design the building. Get to know our resident rocket scientist in this issue’s Q&A.

How did you end up at the University of Mary?

When I was working for a wind power company, I had bought a house in Mandan, a Victorian Queen Anne house built in 1895, and I spent the last ten years restoring it. One day a man named Kirk Lanterman knocked on my door and told me his grandfather had built my house and asked for a tour of it. While we were talking, he asked how long I had been in the construction business because of my work in the house. I told him I wasn’t in the construction business; I was a physicist in engineering physics. He said, “Do you think you could start an engineering program?” and told me he was on the Board of Trustees at the University of Mary. He took my name back to the board, and they ended up hiring me in 2015.

What are some of your hobbies?

I love restoring my house, and lately, I’ve gotten into cooking. I like reading and writing, especially poetry. I enjoy fly fishing and riding my Harley-Davidson as well.

Wow, that’s a lot of hobbies! What do you think your students would be most surprised to learn about you?

They’d probably be surprised I ride a Harley! And that I write poetry. Also that I worked at a high-security nuclear physics lab in the middle of Russia. In fact, they’d probably be surprised about a lot of things that I’ve done.

Pilling, left, enjoys getting to know the students in the engineering program.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

When I’m an old man sitting in my rocking chair on the porch, I will think about all the students I helped shape and what they are doing. It’s incredible to see our students change over their four years at Mary; they grow into the people they are meant to be thanks to the formation they receive here, and I’m proud to be a part of that. I think that will be a fun retirement, thinking about all the students that I’ve served.

What makes the University of Mary’s engineering program different from other schools?

Our philosophy is to create a different engineer. We want undergraduate degree engineers who are leaders, which is not taught at other schools. We want them to be moral and ethical; we integrate moral values and ethics in all of our courses. We also emphasize service because engineers have skills that other people don't, and the reason they do it is to serve society. From our perspective, they’re not engineers to enrich themselves, and although they may make a lot of money, they’re primarily doing it because they take pride in their work. They know that other people need them, and it entails ethical responsibility and a service mentality. We also teach our engineers communication and marketing skills, which helps them be leaders and sell themselves and their products. I think we will find our graduates rising to leadership positions very quickly because these skills are not taught at other engineering schools. What is your vision for the School of Engineering? First, we want to fill it up with students; we have a little way to go until we are at capacity. I also want to keep refining our courses based on industry input and ensure we’re teaching all the latest things needed so our graduates remain at the forefront. I plan to continue to invest in our faculty and give them opportunities to grow; I want them to be excited to come to work every day. I hope to start supporting faculty research so our faculty can research the things they are passionate about, and so our students have the opportunity to participate in research programs as an undergraduate. I think we could solve real problems that would be valuable to companies all over the state, nation, and world.

Pilling kept journals of his thoughts and ideas while beginning the School of Engineering.