One of the most appealing things
to me was, at the time I came, we offered a single engineering
degree. We provided a very broad foundation for engineers
so that they could move across the spectrum of engineering
disciplines. They were not narrowly defined. I thought that
was an excellent idea because throughout my professional life,
I've had the opportunity to work with many types of
engineers.
As our engineering program added more and more faculty members,
professors felt they would perform better in the confines
of their own disciplines. The collective wisdom was to get
designated departments and designated degrees. I did not feel
this was a desired trend, but in all fairness, it was easier
for our graduates to get job offers.
“I believe
our engineering programs provide a very healthy balance
of sound theory and enough engineering applications that
students can immediately upon graduation - or after a
very short time - become effective practitioners of the
profession.” |
For most people, it was a productive change.
I now believe it was a move for the best. In the original
program, we tried to provide a healthy dose of fundamental
engineering knowledge along with the ability to engage in
solving problems. As the changes in the field have evolved,
the need for cooperation and collaboration has grown. We now
have much more inter- action than we had during the initial
splitting of the program into individual designated programs.
Some of the projects I have conducted within the capstone
design project series involved a marriage of disciplines and
produced engineering projects that we proudly share with the
Orange County community and beyond. |