Dr. Jerry Stoneking joined the faculty in 1975 as associate professor after earning his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and teaching at Clarkson University in New York and at the University of South Carolina. In 1984 he was named head of the Science and Engineering Mechanics Department, and he was named dean of the College of Engineering in 1993. Stoneking twice won the Outstanding Teacher Award and was named IBM Professor in 1981. He was recognized as Tennessee’s Outstanding Engineer of the Year in 1996.
During his tenure as dean, Stoneking was the architect and driving force behind the Engage Freshman Engineering Fundamentals Program. At the college’s 2002 annual Engineering Honors Banquet, the Engage program was officially renamed in his honor. He died in January 2001 while filming a recruiting video in front of Ayres Hall.