We were deeply saddened by the passing of Richard (“Dick”) Seagrave, a longtime volunteer and past president of ABET. Seagrave played a pivotal role in shaping the future of accreditation, contributing to transformative initiatives such as the introduction of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000) and the expansion of ABET accreditation to international programs.
Born Dec. 31, 1935, in Westerly, Rhode Island, Seagrave earned his bachelor’s degree in from the University of Rhode Island, and his master’s and doctorate degrees from Iowa State University (ISU) – all in chemical engineering. After a postdoctoral research fellowship and several years on the faculty at the California Institute of Technology, he returned to ISU in 1966.
Seagrave held many leadership positions throughout his decades-long tenure at ISU, including professor-in-charge of the biomedical engineering program, chairman of the chemical engineering program, interim director of the Computation Center, interim provost and interim president. ISU posted a tribute to Seagrave about his legacy at the University.
Beyond ISU, Seagrave was active in the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE), which led him to ABET. At ABET, Seagrave served as chair of the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC), AIChE representative on the Board of Directors and as 2005-2006 ABET president. He was recognized as a Fellow of AIChE in 1994 and a Fellow of ABET in 1999, alongside receiving numerous distinguished honors from ISU.
As part of ABET’s International Activities Committee, Seagrave championed the accreditation of programs outside the United States. He traveled extensively on accreditation teams, reviewing chemical engineering programs across the Middle East and beyond.
Seagrave also served on EAC leadership when it introduced the revolutionary EC2000, a groundbreaking shift in accreditation that focused on what students learned rather than what they were taught. ABET began phasing in EC2000 during the 1998-1999 cycle, with full implementation in 2001.
Richard Seagrave’s vision, leadership and commitment left a lasting mark on both ABET and the global engineering community. We are grateful for his many years of service, and he will be missed.
“Dick helped lead our transformation to outcomes-based accreditation and assessment in the late 1990’s. His pioneering work helped ensure academic programs were aligned with industry needs and student success. Dick’s legacy continues to influence educators, institutions and accreditation bodies worldwide.” – Michael K.J. Milligan, Chief Executive Officer at ABET
“What I will always remember about Dick is his sense of humor and gentle way of handling things. He’s in my personal Role Model Hall of Fame. We’ll miss you, Dick.” – Larry Jones, 2015-2016 ABET President
“I recall Dick as a wonderful Team Chair and a patient ABET president 2005-2006, always providing thoughtful answers to numerous questions from ABET volunteers over the years.” – K. Jamie Rogers, 2014-2015 ABET President
“I’ve known Dick for around 40 years. He was my unofficial mentor, role model and most importantly, friend. You could best describe Dick as a statesman. If there was controversy, Dick got the job of smoothing the waters – and he was great at it!
He was a man of many talents: engineer, researcher, professor, scholar, mentor, administrator and manager. Iowa State often called on him to be acting provost in addition to his teaching and research. I think Dick must have held every key senior management position at Iowa State on an interim basis, including provost and president. At the same time, Dick was heavily involved in key activities that led to major changes in ABET accreditation, including the rollout of EC2000 and international accreditation. Even with all these responsibilities he managed to have 28 doctoral students.
During my tenure as ABET president, I would often ask Dick’s opinion even though he had left the Board, including on non-ABET subjects. He was always happy to lend a helping hand.
Thinking back, he never called me by my first name — it was always Kaye (I don’t know if he meant the letter or my last name), but it was always friendly and respectful. Dick was one of the giants of ABET. Most of all, he was my good friend, and I will miss him.” – Larry Kaye or “K”