The responsibility of establishing and solidifying the preeminence of the Engineering Governing Council (EGC) in the University environment rests squarely upon our shoulders. We must build upon our many accomplishments from the year passed, and ensure that our activity and efficacy is established in the minds of our constituents in the School of Engineering, our peers in other colleges, and administration throughout the entire University community.

As the oldest and most aggregately experienced governing association at Rutgers University, it is our responsibility to assume the mantle of leadership and take on positions which engineers have historically been excluded from. We must propagate an image of professionalism to the University, while at the same time, ensure that our number one priority is service to our professional school constituency. These two goals, however, are not mutually exclusive, as accomplishing the latter will most certainly entitle us to the former.

In addition to setting a precedent of engineering leadership university-wide, we must also focus on cultivating leaders from within our ranks. We must ensure a steady supply of students who are interested in serving others through freshman outreach. Over the past year, we have seen increased interest and highly contested elections from the classes of 2009 and 2010. This is attributable entirely to our outreach early on. We must approach students upon first arrival, and while they are establishing in their minds what it means to be a Rutgers engineer, we must instill and intertwine the importance of the EGC to the vitality of the undergraduate engineering community.

We must never lose sight of the fact that we are here to serve: to serve the students, to serve the societies, and to serve the profession of engineering. By empowering our students, we ensure the leaders of tomorrow will be composed of brilliant, like-minded individuals who see the necessity of encouraging and supporting our discipline. By supporting societies, we promote the activities which mold students into professionals and industry leaders. Finally, by supporting the profession of engineering, we ensure that the world which many of us will soon enter into will welcome us with sense of awe and level of respect indicative of our necessity to society. We exist to serve, and in many senses, we serve so that we may continue to exist.