“Engineering logic and the intellectual process one learns at the University are very valuable, but the engineering education alone can be very narrowing. Some engineers become so focused on possible answers that they forget to examine the process. Liberal arts added a dimension to my thought process and gave me the ability to communicate. Those courses forced me to think beyond the narrow focus of required electives. To be successful in the business world, engineers must develop their ability to think ‘outside of the box.’ An engineer’s real product is ‘creativity,’ the kind that comes from intense curiosity and wide experience. Coupled with our natural inclination to believe that all things are possible and that there is a solution to every problem, we have been given the tools to enrich civilization in every generation.”

Bennett Levin

President and Chief Engineer The Offices of Bennett Levin, Inc.

Bennett Levin organized his own Consulting Engineering firm in 1966 and continued in active practice until 1992. His practice of mechanical and electrical engineering was nationwide in scope and specialized in the application and design of water source heat pump systems especially the groundwater geothermal variant. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in twenty-four states, and has been granted two patents for the application of heat pumps for the enhancement of low temperature water storage and heat recovery. Building systems designed by his firm included major high-rise hotels, office buildings, and residential structures.

He served as a member of the City of Philadelphia’s Board of Building Standards for twenty years and in 1991 was appointed the Commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections. In 1995, while serving in that position he was named by GOVERNING magazine as one of America’s nine “Public Officials of the Year.”

In 1997 he was the commencement speaker for the College of Engineering and in 1998 he was the College’s Kudoff Memorial Lecturer.

Mr. Levin is a staunch advocate of a broad engineering curriculum with liberal arts components. He initiated the Lawrence J. Perez Memorial Student Advocate Award fund, honoring a former assistant dean, civil engineering professor, and student mentor. He received a degree in industrial engineering as well as a degree in liberal arts from Penn State.

A railroad restoration enthusiast, Mr. Levin has restored and operates several historic railroad passenger cars.