School of Engineering and Computer Science
Order of the Engineer
Each year the traditional installation ceremony for the University of the Pacific Link of the Order of the Engineer is hosted for graduating seniors and engineers from the community.
The Order of the Engineer is an organization that seeks to promote professionalism. It is founded upon the following two principles:
- The primary purpose of engineering is service to the public, and
- All members of the engineering profession share a common bond.
Each person who accepts the Obligation of the Engineer at the ceremony is given a stainless steel ring and a certificate – a gift from the University. There are no annual dues and no meetings to attend, other than the installation ceremony. The only requirement is your personal commitment to live your professional life by the two principles stated above.
Here’s an Overview of the History of the Order of the Engineer:
It is important to remember the value of pursuing an education first because it is meaningful to your life rather than because of the financial prospects associated with the field. In engineering and computer science terms, this is best illustrated in the Order of the Engineer where upon graduation you will takes a vow to “uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession and to serve humanity by making the best use of Earth’s precious wealth”.
The Obligation of the Order of the Engineer is similar to the Canadian "Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer" initiated there in 1926. It uses a wrought iron ring, conducts a secret ceremony, and administers an oath authorized by Rudyard Kipling. The extension of the Ritual outside Canada was prevented by copyright and other conflicting factors.
The Order of the Engineer was initiated in the United States to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the engineering profession, to bridge the gap between training and experience, and to present to the public a visible symbol identifying the engineer.
The first ceremony was held on June 4, 1970 at Cleveland State University. Others like it have since spread across the United States at which graduate and registered engineers are invited to accept the Obligation of the Engineer and to wear a stainless steel ring. The ceremonies are conducted by Links (local sections) of the Order.
The Obligation is a creed similar to the oath attributed to Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) that is generally taken by medical graduates and which sets forth an ethical code. The Obligation likewise, contains parts of the Canon of Ethics of major engineering societies. Initiates, as they accept it voluntarily, pledge to uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession and to serve humanity by making the best use of Earth’s precious wealth.
The Order is not a membership organization; there are never any meetings to attend or dues to pay. Instead, the Order does foster a unity of purpose and the honoring of one’s pledge lifelong. The Engineer's Ring in the United States is a stainless steel ring, worn on the fifth finger of the working hand by engineers who have accepted the Obligation of an Engineer in a Ring Ceremony. In Canada, the Engineer's Ring is a wrought iron ring accepted by engineers inducted into the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer in a secret ceremony. Pacific covers the cost of your ring and puts on a very special ceremony for seniors prior to commencement.
For additional information visit the national site for the Order of the Engineer
