After growing up in India, where he got his start in manufacturing, Winston Erevelles came to the United States for graduate school—and he’s been involved in higher learning ever since, touching countless people’s lives for the better and continuing to “pay it forward.” In various professional, personal and charitable endeavors, Erevelles strives to give others the same opportunities he enjoyed to help them achieve their own success. During his 12-year tenure as the dean of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Erevelles advanced the school’s STEM education and research capabilities, community and industrial outreach, growth and reputation. He most recently spearheaded the building of the Blank Sheppard Innovation Center, which is due to be completed in Spring 2024. Erevelles has received numerous accolades during his career, including the SME Outstanding Young Engineer Award, Carnegie Science Center Award for Excellence, SME Education Award, Texas Diversity Council Diversity FIRST Award and being named an ABET Fellow. Manufacturing Engineering (ME) Editor-in-Chief Steve Plumb recently spoke to Erevelles, who in January begins a one-year term as SME’s president, about his life and career, as well as the changing trends and challenges in education and manufacturing.
ME: How did you get into manufacturing? Was your family involved in the industry?
Erevelles: Manufacturing hooked me early on. My father was a manufacturing engineer—although he passed away when I was very young—and my grandfather had a small manufacturing company in India that made wooden barrels. I guess the whole idea of seeing things coming together, whether it was raw material, tooling, processes, systems and then, voila, at the other end you have a finished product. I found that fascinating. As a child, I would take beautifully sharpened wood chisels and use them on nails, developing the fine art of creating notches on chisels! My grandfather had the patience of a saint: He would just resharpen the chisels and tell me not to do that again. I went on to do my undergraduate work in electrical engineering, interned at two manufacturing companies in India, and worked there for a few years before pursuing graduate school in the U.S.
ME: What did you produce?
Erevelles: We had different lines that manufactured parts for diesel engines used in ships and as co-generation units. I enjoyed interacting with customers, getting to understand their needs, then bringing that back to engineering and manufacturing products going out into the field.
ME: Your next stop was the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). What were your plans?
Erevelles: At the time, I wanted to get my master’s and return home to advance at the company where I was working. I had no plans of staying in the U.S. However, I found UMR, which is now Missouri University of Science and Technology, was very innovative and a great place to do graduate work in manufacturing engineering, which was housed under the engineering management department. It was highly collaborative and exposed students to the technical and financial parts of manufacturing, as well as information systems and the management of technology. I ended up working on a DFM/A project to support McDonnell Douglas Missile Systems for my master’s degree. And I started teaching some classes and doing work in computer integrated manufacturing, thereby earning my doctorate.
ME: What prompted the switch to academia?
Erevelles: After graduation, I interviewed at universities and in corporate research, including at GMI Engineering and Management Institute (formerly General Motors Institute and now Kettering University) in Flint, Michigan. I took a tour of the campus with Dr. Petros “Pete” Gheresus—a professor of industrial engineering—who became my mentor—and still is to this day. As I talked to different student groups to understand what they were doing, I fell in love with the fact that there was so much hands-on work that brought theoretical engineering to life. Students went from the classroom to their co-op jobs and back to classes, eventually culminating in a senior thesis based on real-world problems. By the time they graduated, students had two to three years of experience and one major project under their belt. It was a great fit for me, and I spent close to a decade there. The impact you have on students is very rewarding.
ME: You served as the dean of Robert Morris University before becoming dean of St. Mary’s. You must enjoy it?
Erevelles: I really did. The move to Robert Morris, which was a small business school at that time, was such a wonderful opportunity to help create a new school of engineering, mathematics and science from scratch. I started as a department head and eventually served as dean. At the end of a decade, I felt we had accomplished what we had set out to do, and I was ready for my next adventure at St. Mary’s. The last 14 years at St. Mary’s, with 12 of them as dean, were invested in strengthening STEM education, research, outreach and collaboration with industry. Having completed the SET Vision for Excellence, I stepped down as dean and became special advisor to the president. I am now working on the new 30,000-sq-ft Blank Sheppard Innovation Center, two-thirds of which will be devoted to advanced manufacturing. The top floor of the building will house a nursing program—another one of my projects—which will collaborate with various engineering disciplines. I’ve even started teaching again. It’s still my happy place.
ME: What are the biggest challenges in education?
Erevelles: Studies indicate that we’re going to see a decline in the number of high school graduates going on to college, to varying degrees in different parts of the country, starting in about 2025—driven by demographics and other factors. At the same time, people are questioning the value of a college education in the face of rising costs. However, the data also suggest that a majority of good paying jobs now require education beyond a high-school diploma. Education is still a driver for economic stability for the workforce. We have to also be mindful of the mix of students who are going to college—high school graduates and non-traditional students. One might view all of this as a challenge or an opportunity. So, the basic business model will need to evolve to reflect these trends. Interaction between students and employers also has become critical. Talent management—finding the right people—in a post-COVID environment is also challenging. People who have been used to working from home for a few years are saying: “I was just as effective when I was off campus, can I continue doing that?”
ME: How has the pandemic affected students?
Erevelles: Their preparation and socialization are different. Some students haven’t had a real high school experience; eventually that’s going to work its way through the system. They’re coming to college after two and three years of online learning. But not all of them are equally prepared, depending on how well-resourced their school and school district were, among other things. So there are knowledge gaps that we have been experiencing in our first-year students.
ME: I know mental health is also important to you.
Erevelles: This hits very close to home in our family—we lost a teenage son to suicide in 2020. He was a senior getting ready to go off to college to study environmental engineering; then in the middle of COVID something snapped and things went wrong—a parent’s worst nightmare. Universities are seeing a significant rise in mental health issues, for students as well as some faculty and staff members. We’ve got to pay attention to everyone’s overall well-being, whether it’s their physical, social, spiritual or emotional health. There was absolutely zero indication when my wife and I lost our son. One thing that unites us all is the common bond of humanity. I can’t tell you how many friends and colleagues, both at St. Mary’s and SME, were there for us during that time. One can work to create good, even out of great loss. There are about 12 of us now on campus who are certified in suicide prevention training.
ME: Your wife is an emergency physician. Are there commonalities between industries?
Erevelles: Absolutely. My wife recognized that inventory management and supply chain issues challenged some aspects of their operation. When she was recovering from foot surgery, she decided to pursue a green belt in Lean Six Sigma to address these challenges, while improving efficiencies and processes. That was a happy coincidence because our team at St. Mary’s already does a lot to help area hospitals learn Lean Six Sigma principles, such as the five S’s (sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain). Both professions benefit from listening to each other and the voice of the customer. In her case, she is very focused on patients and the quality of care and services. A healthcare provider has a finite window of time while moving between patients with different sets of health issues. So how does one manage patient care, quality and throughput? So again, that’s listening to the voice of the customer, being mindful of the domain you’re working in and providing solutions specific to that domain and customer, rather than taking a generalized approach. The same thing applies to manufacturing and education.
ME: What are some of your goals as SME president in 2024?
Erevelles: SME volunteer and staff leadership have developed a dynamic, well-thought-out strategic plan. So, first of all, I’m going to appeal to my fellow SME members, the board and other colleagues to get behind the plan and throw our collective weight into it. I call on us all to become active participants and supporters, which becomes a force multiplier. Instead of standing on the sidelines, we need to tell our stories, invite others to the table and get them engaged in the work of this great society with all the benefits SME offers. Explain what a wonderful profession it is and help attract students, faculty members and young professionals into the industry and to SME.
ME: How can individual members contribute and help make a difference?
Erevelles: I often talk about the three T’s of time, talent and treasure that volunteers and members at all levels of an organization can offer and give back to society. For me, at SME and throughout my career, this means paying it forward and creating opportunities for students and the manufacturing community to succeed in their lives and careers.
ME: What else excites you about the future?
Erevelles: Two things keep me passionate about manufacturing. One is that it’s such an absolutely fun and fascinating field. Secondly, it’s so dynamic and constantly changing to benefit all of us. When you think about Industry 4.0/5.0—AI, machine learning and the whole smart manufacturing umbrella—and the impact it has, allowing us to solve problems. Manufacturing is both a mile wide and deep. You’re constantly learning and reinventing yourself. Manufacturing has provided a great life for me, and I’m honored to give back even more in my new role at SME.
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