Ken Kohrs is the recipient of the 2024 Department Merit Award, which was established to honor alumni who personify the College’s tradition of excellence and who have achieved significant accomplishments in their professional lives.
For thirty-seven years, Ken pursued a challenging career with the Ford Motor Company that encompassed global leadership positions in engineering and business operations. Following retirement, he served the University of Michigan as Adjunct Professor and Industry Co-Director of the Tauber Institute, the 2001 and 2003 Solar Car team faculty advisor, and worked for four years as Special Counsel to the Provost, collaborating with two UM faculty colleagues to develop and implement the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. He was elected to an eight year term as an Ann Arbor Charter Township Trustee and four years as Experience Advisor with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Patient Quality and Safety Committee.
Ken grew up in Peoria, Illinois and received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Masters’ degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Ken and his wife Penny live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and have enjoyed raising two daughters who have successful engineering and educational careers.
Below, Ken explores his relationship with the department and the future of the discipline.
What does Michigan and Michigan Mechanical Engineering mean to you
A degree from University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering, opens the doors of opportunity and gives the recipient the technical confidence to create solutions and to challenge the robustness of ideas – and ultimately succeed.
How has your time in ME influenced your career so far?
Mechanical engineering ties multiple engineering disciplines into a cohesive total effort – from conceptual design, to manufacturing, to the application of complex software. It gives you the confidence to work cross functionally, challenge outcomes, and apply solutions to complex problems across technologies.
As an alumni, how have you stayed connected to the department and/or to the alumni network? What is the benefit of a robust and engaged alumni network?
The most effective means to stay connected over long periods of time is to participate in advisory boards, funding scholarships, and becoming involved in projects that are of particular interest to you as an individual. While technology evolves, the fundamentals do not, and alumni experiences can provide career perspectives to degree candidates and to faculty.
Can you speak about the future of mechanical engineering? Where do you see mechanical engineers making a high impact difference in shaping the future of our world?
While recognizing the power of software, these tools are only effective if the outcomes can be translated into useful motion or work. Mechanical engineering will be most effective when incorporated cross functionally with other engineering disciplines – electrical, chemical, biomechanical, computer science. Our world is full of challenges – the environment, food supply, sustainable manufacturing, and full employment. There are no easy answers and the mechanical engineering disciplines are easily integrated with other disciplines to achieve success – including working with and understanding business fundamentals.