The Board of Trustees has approved a restructuring of the College's Engineering Division, including the phasing out of the civil engineering department, that will focus on converging technologies.
Noting that Union was the first liberal arts college to offer engineering, President Roger Hull said, “The question before us is how engineering will fit, not whether it will fit. One of Union's defining characteristics – perhaps its most fundamental defining characteristic – is the historic existence of engineering within a liberal arts framework. It is my strong belief that Union must continue to define itself in this fashion, and I pledge to do all that I can to ensure that goal.”
Union already has begun to focus on four converging technology areas: bioengineering, nanotechnology, mechatronics and intelligent systems, and pervasive computing.
David B. Chapnick '59, chairman of the Board, said, “During the past two years, as we developed The Plan for Union, we recognized the need to focus on a new direction in engineering while also making the most effective use of our resources.”
The overall amount of the College's budget committed to engineering will not increase, but resources previously allocated to civil engineering will be reallocated to other engineering disciplines at the College. In addition, the College will raise $9 million for the renovation of engineering classrooms and laboratories.
Christina Sorum, Union's dean of the faculty, said converging technologies “will develop engineering and computer science curricula that are not only enhanced by their presence within a liberal arts college but that themselves enhance the education available for liberal arts students through program interaction and access.”