V. Lane Rawlins Distinguished Lifetime Service Award

Director, Professional and Corporate Education (PACE), WSU Vancouver

Professor, Mechanical Engineering
School of Engineering and Computer Science

Hakan Gurocak built WSU Vancouver’s fledgling engineering program into a vibrant school for undergraduate and graduate students. In 1997 he started the campus’ first engineering lab, then obtained several grants from the National Science Foundation and other agencies to ultimately establish robotics and automation labs. The School of Engineering and Computer Science (ENCS) was born in 2004, with Gurocak as its founding director. Under his watch, the school secured multiple ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditations for its mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science programs. Gurocak is now launching the Professional and Corporate Education (PACE) program for WSU Vancouver with courses for the regional workforce. 

Gurocak balanced administrative duties with a strong research program. He secured grants to support graduate students, published papers, obtained patents, and wrote a textbook. He consistently earned high scores on teaching evaluations. The American Society for Engineering Education tapped him for leadership roles.