A Brief History of the PAP
The Power Affiliates Program was started in January, 1979, and it’s first Annual report issued in April of 1980—it’s original committee membership included chairman, Peter W. Sauer, and members, M. Stanley Helm, Richard D. Shultz, Richard A. Smith, and M.E. Van Valkenburg. In the words of the first Annual Report, as written by Sauer, “Prior to World War II, Electric Power was the principal emphasis of the Electrical Engineering curriculum. In the mid 1960s, the national interest in the manned space program caused most universities to curtail or abandon their electric power programs as student and faculty interests turned to the newer areas. … As power systems became larger and more complex, the need for advanced education and research became apparent in the blackouts of 1965 and 1977.” Sauer then noted the confluence of “recent” “problems and controversies.”
Sauer was speaking of the events leading up to the Oil Crisis of 1979. Amid shifting political alliances and rising tensions between Iran and Iraq, an oilfield strike in Iran caused a massive oil shortage, just a 4% reduction in U.S. consumption (Time, Feb. 5th, 1979), but Iranian oil was sold more broadly internationally, and U.S. market speculation drove the cost per barrel skyrocketing. With energy rationing measures being discussed by both the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government, academics worldwide took note. The University of Illinois, and what was then named simply the Department of Electrical Engineering took action. Said Sauer, “In 1978, the Department of Electrical Engineering embarked on a program to expand electric power graduate education and research while maintaining the excellence of the undergraduate program in this area.” 46 years later… we are now in the program’s 47th year.
Annual Power Affiliates Program Review
The 2026 Annual Power Affiliates Program Review was a great success. We will announce the dates of next year’s event in the fall. If you are in the power industry, or are a power alumni and would like to attend, please contact the office manager, Jeremy Sykes, jeremys@illinois.edu, and we’ll get you an invite for next year. Meetings are an informal review of the doings of the faculty and staff, include lunch and coffee and are a nice way to meet with the faculty and grad students who make up our program.
During this year’s event, we announced new membership tiers.
You can download them here.
Individual donations may be made at giving.illinois.edu by typing “power” in the gift designation line and selecting Power Affiliates Program Fund. You may also simply write in the fund name. Please notify us, or send a screenshot so that we can make sure it is taken care of properly.
The Power Affiliates Program Reports
The PAP Report provides an annual window into the current research and resources of the Power and Energy Systems Area within what is now the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The funds generously provided by the Affiliates are used for a wide variety of educational and research purposes critical to maintaining The University of Illinois Stay tuned to this page for news about the 2026 PAP Program and it’s corresponding event. NEW: Published May 2026:
Review our archives, digitized as far as 2003 (with older reports to come.)
The Historical Introductory Language and Program Mandates
The Power Affiliates Program (PAP) was initiated in January 1979 as part of a major effort to strengthen the power and energy systems area. The original objectives were to:
- Maintain stimulating, meaningful and high quality undergraduate and graduate programs in electric power engineering.
- Increase university-industrial interaction at all levels of education and research in electric power engineering.
These objectives are as much valid today as they were in 1979. The multi-faceted activities in 2025 under the PAP umbrella clearly were in support of these objectives. Throughout the past forty seven years, the Power Affiliates Program has maintained a stable financial base during times of rapid change in the power industry. This base provided the seed money for research, which led to additional funding by other sources. This base has also made it possible for students to be exposed to industrial problems and to participate in technical and professional meetings. With the cyclical nature of funding by government agencies, the Power Affiliates Program is a critically important source of support.
The Power Affiliates Program is the foundation of the industrial liaison effort in the Power and Energy Systems Area. If you would like to learn more about the program, would like to attend the 2027 Power Affiliates Program, or become a paying member use the contact email in the footer to contact a program representative. The following companies are associated with the PAP at present: