Richard Goff, associate professor of engineering education in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of associate professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1996, Goff was the founding director of the Frith First-Year Engineering Design Lab, the primary laboratory space utilized by thousands of first-year engineering students to this day. He also co-developed and led the precursor to the Rising Sophomore Abroad Program and served as a former director of the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for e-Design.

Goff also served as a team member on the first two National Science Foundation grants received by the Department of Engineering Education and served as part of a large NSF-funded coalition (SUCCEED).

In the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Goff championed the Real Outreach eXperiences In Engineering project and enabled more than 1,000 first-year engineering students to engage in community service projects.

Goff also supported the Baja SAE student team as its faculty advisor for nine years and served the engineering fundamentals program (now the Department of Engineering Education) as course coordinator from 1998 to 2003.

In the classroom, Goff has taught thousands of undergraduate engineers within the first-year, second-year, and graduate programs in engineering, consistently receiving strong teaching evaluations. He also advised several students on doctoral dissertations and helped them develop solid research programs, leading to careers in academia and industry. He was the author or co-author with colleagues and graduate students of over 100 peer-reviewed publications.

Goff served for eight years as assistant department head and received multiple university awards for his teaching and service, including the W.S. Pete White Chair for Innovation in Engineering Education, the William E. Wine Award for a History of Exemplary Teaching, the Diggs Teaching Scholar Award, and the Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching of Engineering Subjects.

Goff received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.

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