May 4, 2022
Retirement reception to honor trio of mechanical and nuclear engineering professors
A trio of professors in the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering will be honored with a retirement reception from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, May 5, in the Engineering Hall ground-floor atrium.
Bill Dunn, David Pacey and Ken Shultis, who combine for 115 years of service to the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University, will all retire at the end of the semester.
Dunn focused the majority of his teaching on nuclear engineering courses, introducing a pair of courses while also being a pioneer of early distance education at K-State. He was honored with the Radiation Science and Technology Award from the American Nuclear Society in 2015. Dunn also served as interim department head from 2013-14 and department head from 2014-19.
Pacey began his career at K-State with an eight-year stint as a power and machinery specialist within the extension agricultural engineering program. He began teaching in the engineering technology program before moving to the mechanical and nuclear engineering department, where he taught for 28 years. Pacey won a variety of awards throughout his career, both for his undergraduate teaching and his commitment to advising. Pacey also spent many years as the faculty advisor for the K-State chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Shultis came to K-State in 1969, joining the nuclear engineering department and embarking on a 53-year career the year after earning his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He has taught more than 30 different courses and conducted research on a variety of topics related to nuclear engineering. The author of seven books, Shultis’ research brought in more than $19 million in research grants and contracts to the university. His span at K-State includes the tenures of five university presidents, four provosts, five engineering deans and eight department heads.