When Engineering senior Courtenay Holscher met David Munson on Halloween last year, he was dressed as a pickle jar.

The costume itself wasn't a shock — after all, it was Halloween. It's just the fact that Munson, the man in the Vlasic Dill Pickle suit is the dean of the College of Engineering.

And last month, when Munson dressed as a wolverine for Halloween, he continued a tradition he began two years ago when he took over as dean of the college. It was an effort to prove to the rest of campus that engineers can enjoy themselves, he said.

Munson, who took office in July of 2006, has taken a different approach to a dean’s relationship with students. Between three and four times a term, he holds office hours for students to come and voice complaints, sing praises of professors or simply chat.

Engineering senior Steven Hechtman, president of the University’s Solar Car Team, said Munson makes it easy for students to approach him with ideas by making himself accessible.

“He doesn’t sit up on his own pedestal, and that really sets him apart,” he said. “It’s definitely a good thing for students to be able to approach their dean like that and not feel intimidated and really feel that their opinion is valued.”

PUSHING STUDENTS OVERSEAS

As dean, Munson has tried to shift the culture of the school away from intense specializations toward a broader, more well-rounded curriculum.

One of the biggest changes Munson has implemented since taking the reins has been placing a stronger emphasis on study abroad programs.

Historically, because of the specific nature and limited availability of Engineering courses, fewer Engineering students have gone overseas than from other University programs. Last year, just 250 students — about 3 percent of the college's enrollment — studied abroad on a program or internship.

Munson’s emphasis on international experiences stems from his own experiences abroad, which he described as rewarding and broadening, citing his first trip abroad as a faculty member to Paris and Rome in the early 1980s.

“As a regular faculty member, I traveled overseas pretty much every year, and I just never had a trip that wasn’t amazing,” he said. “For our students to have some of those same experiences is really valuable.”

Munson increased staff support for the college’s international programs office and earlier this semester created an international minor for engineers.

The international minor requires intensive study of a foreign language as well as a study abroad program or overseas internship.

Amy Conger, director of International Programs in Engineering, said engineering-specific study abroad programs aren't new. What is, though, is faculty members' emphasis of the programs.

“For (Munson), international education is clearly a part of a Michigan Engineering education rather than something you do in addition,” Conger said.

Munson said he hopes half of all Engineering students will eventually have international experience before graduating.

“I don’t want for one of our students to go to a company and have their boss come to them Monday morning and say, ‘Susan, I need you to go to Beijing on Wednesday,’ and for the U of M alum to say, ‘Oh, golly, I don’t know what’s involved, I’ve never done this before,’” Munson said.

REACHING ACROSS CAMPUS

One complaint some engineers have about their field is that the work is isolating and doesn’t allow them to work in other fields.

“All our classes are with other engineers,” said Holscher, the president of the University's Engineering Council. “We’re surrounded by other engineers, and there’s the School of Music and Art and Architecture, but they have their own giant buildings separate from our giant buildings, so there’s not too much running into other fields.”

Coming into the job, Munson sought to dispel that notion.