Clinical Associate Professor Michael Brown retiring after 24 years of teaching at UIC
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Clinical Associate Professor Michael Brown is retiring after teaching for more than 30 years at UIC.
Brown started teaching evening classes in 1995 while working at Abbott Labs. In 2005, he retired from Abbott and brought his years of industry experience to the classroom as a visiting professor. In 2012, he accepted a full-time position as a clinical associate professor.
“At the beginning of my teaching career, while at Abbott, I was privileged to serve on the first MIE Industrial Advisory Board, where I met many of the faculty and was involved in the Senior Design Program,” said Brown, who earned his BS, MS, and PhD at UIC.
During his tenure at Abbott and UIC, he had many professional achievements.
At Abbott Labs, he started as a project engineer in the facilities group, working his way up to department head in the Diagnostics Division, managing chemical, mechanical, electrical, and molding engineering.
“My most rewarding contribution was participating in the HIV/AIDS task force in the early 80s, developing a blood test for the US blood supply. This was a major turning point in the HIV/AIDS crisis, enabling blood banks and healthcare providers to begin identifying HIV in donated blood,” he said. “At UIC, my greatest achievement was assisting in the development of the Senior Design Program as we know it now.”
As a longtime faculty member, Brown’s professionalism and commitment have had a long-lasting impact on his peers.
“I have known Professor Mike Brown for almost 40 years,” said Professor Sabri Cetin. “He has been an exemplary person; as a professor, as a friend, as a human being. He is the kind of guy who always does and advises doing the right thing. A standup guy for ‘treat others as you would want them to treat you kind of guidance. He always put the students first and put more time and effort into them than anyone else I know.”
“It has been a great honor to work with Professor Brown and have him as a colleague,” said UIC Distinguished Professor Ahmed Shabana. “I have not met many people who have his work ethic, integrity, and dedication. I wish him a very happy retirement.”
During his tenure at UIC, Brown has watched the department grow substantially. For the new faculty members joining the department, he has some advice.
“Do not be afraid of the students. They are more afraid of you,” Brown said.
The decision to leave UIC is not easy for him. The interaction with the student teams in Senior Design is one of the things he will miss the most. However, after 60 years of working, he decided he wanted to “wind down” and enjoy retirement.
“I’m registered for an online AI course at Harvard. After that, not sure. I have a bucket list like most, but all the buckets are full. I was fortunate enough to earn enough money – engineers can make a great living – to support many scuba-diving and skiing vacations, trips to Europe, and riverboat excursions. I have done the adventures I wanted to do,” Brown said. “Now I want to hang out with my wife of 56 years and spend more time with my three grown children and my five grandchildren.”