February 27, 2004 :: No. 164
Two CSU Campuses Join Forces To Educate
Future Engineers
Beginning in the fall, a select group of students
at CSU Dominguez Hills will have an incentive to head 25 miles east
to Cal State Fullerton for classes.
While Dominguez Hills offers 62 degree programs, engineering
is not among them. Fullerton offers eight such programs and is opening
its doors to physics majors from the nearby campus who have set
their sights on a career in electrical engineering.
In a move characterized as a “win-win”
for students, faculty, taxpayers and future engineers, the two campuses
have entered into an agreement whereby students at Dominguez Hills
can obtain a bachelor of science in physics from CSUDH with an option
in electrical engineering, by attending engineering classes at Fullerton.
“Students with that specialized B.S. in physics
are then automatically eligible to pursue a master of science degree
in electrical engineering at CSUF on a seamless basis,” said
Raman Unnikrishnan, dean of Fullerton’s College of Engineering
and Computer Science.
The agreement for the pilot program was signed this
week by Dominguez Hills’ Selase W. Williams, dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences, and Kenneth Ganezer, chair and professor of
physics, and Fullerton’s Unnikrishnan and Mostafa Shiva, department
head and professor of electrical engineering.
“The program involving the two universities
is a unique model of collaboration,” said Keith Boyum, associate
vice president for academic programs at Fullerton. “It benefits
the physics program at Dominguez Hills by offering students the
electrical engineering option, along with a vehicle for direct admission
into Fullerton’s master’s program in electrical engineering.
“It’s also a ‘win-win’ for
taxpayers,” added Boyum, “because Dominguez Hills does
not have to pay expensive start-up costs for an engineering program,
and Cal State Fullerton can utilize existing faculty and facilities
for undergraduate Dominguez Hills physics majors. Plus, Fullerton
will have a built-in supply of graduate students seeking a master’s
in electrical engineering.”
“The program is a perfect partnership,”
said Williams, “and represents the type of collaboration that
CSU Chancellor Charles Reed wants.”
The new program will welcome five to 10 students in
the fall and is expected to grow in the future. Students will take
14 units of electrical engineering courses on their way to completing
the B.S. in physics — a direct bridge to graduate studies
in electrical engineering at Fullerton.
“This is really an auspicious occasion,”
said Ganezer, following the signing of the agreement. “In
this time of a severe budget crisis, it’s appropriate that
the two campuses work together, and that this program is finalized
during National Engineering Week and a time when we have two robotic
devices on Mars.”
Linda W. Patton, director of grants and contracts
at Fullerton, and Clementine Sessoms, coordinator of federal programs
for the College of Arts and Sciences at Dominguez Hills, agree that
the program could lead to scholarship grants for participating students
from agencies such as NASA and the National Science Foundation.
The genesis for the collaborative effort came about
early in 2003 at a regional NASA conference that involved minority-serving
institutions, including Fullerton and Dominguez Hills. A few weeks
later during Engineering Week, CSUF faculty members and others met
with CSUDH officials at Fullerton.
Jesa Kreiner, Fullerton engineering division chair,
proposed the idea of a collaborative program with Dominguez Hills.
Following a series of meetings and negotiations, the agreement was
signed, just one year later.
“We are looking for a synergistic program that will enable
Dominguez Hills students to explore contemporary areas of technology
that will lead to productive career opportunities,” said Kreiner.
Once the pilot program is under way and proves successful,
other disciplines, such as mechanical engineering and computer engineering,
may be added as other engineering options for CSUDH students.
Unnikrishnan, who has overseen similar partnerships
when he served at the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate
New York, noted that this collaborative program is at the forefront
in the CSU. He added that a wide array of career opportunities exist
for electrical engineers, especially in Orange County’s systems-oriented
industries that involve chip design, aviation, medical imaging,
medical appliances and other fields.
Media Contacts: |
Raman M. Unnikrishnan, dean of the College
of Engineering and Computer Science, Cal State Fullerton,
at 657-278-3362 or runnikrishnan@fulleton.edu
Selase W. Williams, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,
CSU Dominguez Hills, at (310) 243-3389 or swilliams@cas.csudh.edu
Dave Reid, Public Affairs, Cal State Fullerton, at 657-278-4855 or dreid@fullerton.edu
Pamela Hammond, University Communications & Public Affairs,
CSU Dominguez Hills, at (310) 243-2001 or phammond@csudh.edu |
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