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Recognizing our ECE retirees

A large group of community members from the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

This spring, the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering celebrated the well-earned retirement of five department colleagues:

"With a department the size of ECE, we always talk about enrollment, ranking, research expenditures," said Rose Qingyang Hu, department head, "but I believe - and all of us agree - the better part is the people. Thank you for building a strong culture and making us all feel proud of being a part of this community."

Congratulations to all of our wonderful retirees!

A white man wearing a blue suit jacket, a pale yellow shirt, and blue and yellow striped tie stands in the hallway of the Virginia Tech Inn. He is wearing glasses and has white hair.

William "Bill" Baumann
Joined in 1985

What will you remember about ECE?
I am most grateful for the support of the department staff and the department heads, who always tried to make life easier and help me accomplish what I was striving for. What I have enjoyed most is teaching undergraduates and helping them become engineers who can solve practical problems with confidence.

What’s next in retirement?
Our current plan is to follow many of my former students and move to Northern Virginia. There, I plan to live in the middle of the urban jungle so I can walk or metro to everything I need, and take advantage of all the region has to offer; learn Korean so I can watch K-dramas in the original (we'll see how that goes); and continue with my electronics hobby.

A white woman with white and blonde hair, wearing a green and white polka dot dress stands in the hallway of the Virginia Tech Inn.

Susan Broniak
Joined in 2016

What will you remember about ECE? 
I'll always remember our ECE Student Services Halloween parties, IEEE Fun Fridays, and the joyful commencement ceremonies. I am most grateful for the camaraderie of my team and our student services group. Over ten years together, we supported each other through an incredible amount of change: first expanding from two majors to fourteen, then navigating the pandemic, and finally, through ongoing program changes. Truly, the only constant was change. Most of all, I have enjoyed getting to know our students and being able to support them during such a meaningful and transitional time in their lives.

What’s next in retirement?
Spending more time with my parents, getting outside for hikes, walks, and bike rides, and eventually traveling quite a bit, hopefully with opportunities to run into Hokies well beyond Blacksburg.

A white man with white hair and a purple button-down shirt stands in the hallway at the Virginia Tech Inn.

Steven Ellingson
Joined in 2003

What will you remember about ECE? 
I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with some really smart colleagues and some really effective staff members. I will also miss the students - they are curious and enthusiastic, and it's great fun when a lecture becomes a discussion as opposed to the usual line-by-line delivery of material on slides.

What’s next in retirement?
I have no intent to retire in the traditional sense of the term.  Retirement for me will be initially be just an sabbatical of indefinite length. A few years down the road I'll figure out what to do next.

A white man wearing a green-striped shirt, sporting a white and gray beard with long gray hair, stands in the hallway at the Virginia Tech Inn.

Paul Plassmann
Joined in 2005

What will you remember about ECE? 
I have really enjoyed all the people in ECE and the university that I have had the tremendous pleasure of working with. They have helped me in my tenure here too many times to count — I could not have had the career I had at Virginia Tech without all the assistance, collaboration, and camaraderie that I have received from them.

What’s next in retirement?
To begin with, my wife and I have a lot of travel planned. Also, I will be spending time with my grandchildren and will be working on my garden. In addition, I have some new hobbies planned; and will, at long last, have time to pursue these plans.

A white man wearing a light blue button-down shirt and glasses stands in the hallway of the Virginia Tech Inn.

Mike Rouhoniemi
Joined in 2008

What will you remember about ECE? 
Arriving at VT from having worked in a purely research capacity for 20+ years I was unsure, maybe nervous, about teaching and the dynamics of an academic department. It was a pleasant surprise to receive friendly mentoring from experienced professors and to find a very collegial and stimulating atmosphere. I have really enjoyed interacting with the high-quality students that VT attracts. Mentoring graduate students to degrees and to the starts of promising careers has been especially rewarding.

What’s next in retirement?
My wife and I plan to remain in Blacksburg. This is home, and, conveniently, it will be equidistant from our two grandchildren. I will continue to be involved with research and to help out with students.