{"id":13,"date":"2024-08-12T11:32:46","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T15:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement-dev\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2026-02-23T13:12:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T18:12:54","slug":"deans-message","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Dean’s Message"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations to the UF Engineering Class of 2026!<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Today, we celebrate a milestone that reflects your years of dedication, resilience, and intellectual curiosity, both in the classroom and far beyond. You have distinguished yourselves not only through mastery in your engineering disciplines, but also as leaders on campus, competitors on national stages that highlighted Gator Engineering excellence, and as ambassadors of the Gator Good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you did not walk this journey alone. You moved forward together, collaboratively, drawing on the ingenuity, creativity, and diverse perspectives of your peers. You encourage, support, and inspire one another, and in doing so, you embody the very best of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduates, you now step into a world defined by rapid innovation and historic technological advancement. As you leave your alma mater, carrying with you the influence of your mentors and the knowledge you worked so hard to earn, remember this: you can change the world. The path forward will require thinkers who act, builders who care, and leaders who step up when it counts. You\u2019ve shown you can do all of that. What you\u2019ve accomplished here is undeniable proof that you\u2019re equipped for whatever comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this day forward, you carry a legacy built by countless engineers who came before you\u2014trailblazers who changed the world in ways big and small. It\u2019s a remarkable lineage\u2014and now, it includes you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go Gators!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren Dixon, Ph.D. 
Interim Dean & Distinguished Professor
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
University of Florida<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interim Dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Warren Dixon, Ph.D. is currently the interim dean for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida. In this role, Dixon serves as the chief academic and administrative leader, responsible for setting the vision, advancing research and education and fostering partnerships that strengthen the college\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to his role as interim dean, Dixon served as chair for UF\u2019s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department where he provided academic and administrative leadership, oversaw faculty, students, and staff to advance the department\u2019s teaching, research and service missions. He guided strategic growth, fostered innovation, and strengthened the department\u2019s reputation within the university and the broader engineering community. During his time in the department, he was recognized as a Distinguished Professor which acknowledges an exceptional record of achievement in the areas of teaching, research and publication, and professional and public service that is recognized both nationally and internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to coming to UF, he worked as a research staff member and Eugene P. Wigner Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dixon received his bachelor\u2019s degree and doctorate from Clemson University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His main research interest has been the development and application of nonlinear analysis and control design tools for uncertain autonomous systems and robotic systems.  His work has been recognized by numerous best paper awards and early and mid-career awards. He is an ASME Fellow and IEEE Fellow, was an IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS) Distinguished Lecturer, served as the Director of Operations for the Executive Committee of the IEEE CSS Board of Governors, and served as an elected member of the IEEE CSS BOG. His technical contributions and service to the IEEE CSS were recognized by the IEEE CSS Distinguished Member Award. He was awarded the Air Force Commander\u2019s Public Service Award for his contributions to the U.S. Air Force Science Advisory Board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congratulations to the UF Engineering Class of 2026! Today, we celebrate a milestone that reflects your years of dedication, resilience, and intellectual curiosity, both in the classroom and far beyond. You have distinguished yourselves not only through mastery in your engineering disciplines, but also as leaders on campus, competitors on national stages that highlighted Gator […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"parent":417,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/page-section-nav.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_post":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-13","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDean's Message - Engineering Commencement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dean's Message - Engineering Commencement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Congratulations to the UF Engineering Class of 2026! Today, we celebrate a milestone that reflects your years of dedication, resilience, and intellectual curiosity, both in the classroom and far beyond. You have distinguished yourselves not only through mastery in your engineering disciplines, but also as leaders on campus, competitors on national stages that highlighted Gator […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Engineering Commencement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-23T18:12:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/209\/2025\/12\/warren-dixon-headshot.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dean's Message - Engineering Commencement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/209\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/warren-dixon-headshot-225x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-12T15:32:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-23T18:12:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/209\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/warren-dixon-headshot.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/209\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/warren-dixon-headshot.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/deans-message\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Graduates\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/graduates\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Dean’s Message\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/\",\"name\":\"Engineering Commencement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eng.ufl.edu\\\/commencement\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dean's Message - Engineering Commencement","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dean's Message - Engineering Commencement","og_description":"Congratulations to the UF Engineering Class of 2026! Today, we celebrate a milestone that reflects your years of dedication, resilience, and intellectual curiosity, both in the classroom and far beyond. You have distinguished yourselves not only through mastery in your engineering disciplines, but also as leaders on campus, competitors on national stages that highlighted Gator […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/","og_site_name":"Engineering Commencement","article_modified_time":"2026-02-23T18:12:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/209\/2025\/12\/warren-dixon-headshot.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/","url":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/","name":"Dean's Message - Engineering Commencement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/209\/2025\/12\/warren-dixon-headshot-225x300.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-12T15:32:46+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:12:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/209\/2025\/12\/warren-dixon-headshot.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/209\/2025\/12\/warren-dixon-headshot.jpg","width":600,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/deans-message\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Graduates","item":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/graduates\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Dean’s Message"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/","name":"Engineering Commencement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":945,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions\/945"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}