The College is about to graduate its first class under the new engineering curriculum — a milestone that prompts us to take a look at some of the things students and faculty are up to.
Begun in 1996, the new curriculum is the result of a $750,000 grant from the GE Fund, the philanthropic foundation of the General Electric Co. Robert Balmer, dean of engineering, says the grant encouraged the College to explore new and innovative approaches to engineering education for the twenty-first century.
The new curriculum focuses on enduring fundamentals rather than transitory skills. A major objective is to provide students with opportunities to work in dynamic organizational structures that mimic the real world of engineering work.
With the new curriculum:
— All engineering and computer science students begin in a core program. The program includes an interdisciplinary design project and introduces students to computer program design and engineering graphics.
— Upper level courses have been restructured to give more electives.
— Engineering students now have the opportunity to pursue an international term abroad or equivalent foreign experience (e.g., the College's nationally-acclaimed International Virtual Design Studio).
— Several upper level theory courses have been replaced with courses that combine both theory and application.
— Integrated math and physics courses have been designed to combine student understanding of abstract mathematics with immediate physical applications.
To Balmer, the curriculum reflects the belief that engineering students want a good, solid, fundamental engineering education combined with international exposure and experience in the liberal arts. The engineering program — specifically, implementing curricular change — will be highlighted at a national seminar on campus this fall. The seminar is made possible by a subsequent $25,000 gift from GE Fund.
Joyce Hergenhan, president of the GE Fund, says that as the pace of change continues to accelerate in the corporate world, engineers, in addition to technical skills, must have creativity, leadership skills, and a sense of the social context in which their products operate. “The kind of interdisciplinary approach that Union has piloted will go a long way toward equipping engineers with this framework,” she says.