Dr. John M. Grandin founded the IEP in 1987 and, after successfully growing the program for 23 years, retired and is now director emeritus of the International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island. Grandin has received numerous awards for his work combining languages and engineering, including the Federal Cross of Honor from the Federal Republic of Germany, the Award for Educational Innovation from ABET, and the Michael P. Malone Award for Excellence in International Education from the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC). He has published widely on such cross-disciplinary initiatives and has been the principal investigator for several funded projects related to the development of the International Engineering Program. Grandin also founded and organized the Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education, bringing together university faculty and business representatives to develop a more global engineering education nationally. In addition to being a professor of German, Grandin served as associate dean and acting dean of URI’s College of Arts and Sciences, and as chair of the Department of Languages. He has written two books on his work at URI. His book, Going the Extra Mile: University of Rhode Island Engineers in the Global Workplace, highlights students who graduated the University of Rhode Island’s International Engineering Program.  His second volume on the program, Merging Languages and Engineering; Partnering Across the Disciplines, highlights the history of the IEP and his own involvement.