John H. “Jack” Grubbs, Ph.D., P.E.
Jack Grubbs was born in San Antonio, Texas on 6 September 1940. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1959 and subsequently graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1964 as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. In addition to his Bachelor of Science degree from West Point, he holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1977, he graduated with distinction from the Naval Command and Staff College in Newport, Rhode Island.
His military assignments include two Vietnam tours as a combat engineer platoon leader, company commander (twice), and battalion operations officer with the 173d Airborne Brigade and the 23d Infantry Division (Americal). Other foreign service includes assignments as a platoon leader in Okinawa and as a staff officer with the United Nations Command in Korea. In the United States he commanded the 5th Battalion, 3d Brigade, at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. He was selected to the permanent military faculty at the United States Military Academy in 1983. His final assignment was as Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at West Point. He retired from the Army in 1998 as a brigadier general.
In 1998 Dr. Grubbs was appointed Chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana. At the end of his first year on the Tulane faculty, he received the 1999 Tulane Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He has since served as Associate Senior Vice President for Undergraduate Education and as Associate Dean of Engineering for External Programs. His research interests have been in the areas of environmental and geographic undergraduate education and high performing organizations. His many publications include topics on curriculum design, cultural awareness, environmental security, interactive engineering design, database transfer mechanisms, and educational aspects of engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Virginia. In addition to his academic endeavors, he has recently completed the draft of his first novel, is a motivational speaker concerned with integrity, leadership and teambuilding, and has consulted in organizational achievement and development. He is currently working on a leadership book entitled, "Touch 'em or They'll Die".
Among Dr. Grubbs’ many military awards are the Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal (with oak leaf cluster), Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Ranger Tab, and the Senior Parachutist Badge. In 1998 he received The Silver Order of the de Fleury Medal for ‘inspirational leadership to the United States Army Corps of Engineers.’
Dr. Grubbs is married to the former Judith Schultz of Bangor, Pennsylvania. They have three daughters, Kelly Petrillo, Kimberly Wilson, and Kory Ricotta, and six beautiful granddaughters.
Ethics: Engineering and Beyond
The presentation is intended to present 'ethics' on a personal basis, challenging the audience to take a real look at their own personal set of ethics.
While engineering will be the focal point for discussing ethics, it is emphasized that the topic is not so much a matter of military, academic, legal, social or engineering ethics – it is about personal ethics. Regardless of the venue, people must lead lives of integrity. The presentation will cover the following:
· Common definitions of ethics
· The Professional Engineering Society statement on ethics
· A look at people who have displayed:
- a strong commitment to ethical behavior
- a total lack of ethical behavior
· A case study on engineering ethics
· My personal views
· Some sort of interactive component requiring the participants to evaluate their own ethical values
The presentation will be scheduled to last about 50 minutes with an additional 5-10 minutes for comments/questions.