The Bridge - Carl Erikson

Assistant Professor of Engineering Carl A. Erikson, Jr. died May 29, 2016. With degrees in electrical engineering from Rutgers University and Purdue University, he joined the Messiah College faculty in 1989 and helped develop the four-year Bachelor of Science engineering program. His legacy continues today in the core values of the Collaboratory.
 

For years, he and his wife Jocilyn hosted an annual picnic for engineering majors and faculty. 

Erikson’s talent for administration was evident in his thorough preparation for the ongoing Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET) evaluations, the national quality standard for engineering programs. 
 

“Carl dug into this preparation in a gifted way and was always successful,” said Robert Clancy, a Messiah professor of engineering and colleague of Erikson’s for 25 years. “These tests enable the program to prosper and grow; allow graduates to leave campus with a confirmed level of excellence; and let incoming freshmen arrive confident in the excellence of the education they will be receiving.” 
 

Erikson also was instrumental in creating a culture of engineering as service at Messiah.
 

“He understood that there were many people in the world loved by God yet so poor they could never afford to hire an engineer to bring them clean water, energy, transportation and communication technologies and more,” said David Vader, professor of engineering.
 

As Messiah organized student project teams to serve Christian mission and community development ministries, that important work eventually became the Collaboratory. In the early 2000s, Erikson founded the Collaboratory’s water ministry to aid a community in Guatemala. Later, he worked with Elizabethtown Crystal Pure Water, to launch the Village Water Ozonation System (VWOS) project team. VWOS continues to help communities today. 
 

Erikson taught at Messiah until his retirement in 2013.
 

Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to the Collaboratory.