Growing engineers initiative in Utah making a difference

Leavitt’s high-tech initiative is already making a difference

The goal, as set forth by Gov. Mike Leavitt, was to triple the number of engineers being pumped out of Utah’s institutions of higher education by 2009. It seemed almost too much to ask, engineering leaders in the schools said at the time, and they were right. But despite the fact that funding has not risen to the level Leavitt hoped for, the governor’s initiative has given a good kick-start toward increasing the state’s pool of engineers.

By Twila Van Leer
Deseret News staff writer

"It’s making a significant difference," said John Sutherland, who heads the Technology Initiative Advisory Board that was empaneled to oversee the distribution of funds and monitor progress. He agrees with the governor that beefing up Utah’s technology base is "an important part of our economic recovery."

In 2000, when SB61 was crafted to embody Leavitt’s proposals, no one knew the state’s economy was about to nose-dive. But legislators, however hard-pressed to make the budget balance, have continued to put money into the initiative, although not on the level Leavitt would have liked. With another round of cutting about to begin, Sutherland and others hope the impetus of the past two years will not be slowed by reduced funding.

The state’s engineering programs have used the initial money to hire faculty, upgrade labs and provide infrastructure to support more potential graduates, Sutherland said. Cutbacks would impede progress, but that base would remain intact. "It would just take us longer to meet the governor’s goals," he said.

Utah was not ready for the technology boom of the past decade, "but we need to get ready for the next one," he said. Although the state can import engineers, those who are trained here are more likely to stay.

At the University of Utah, engineering majors are up 26 percent, said engineering dean Jerry Stringfellow. "It’s too early to tell, but we think that conforms with the goal to double our graduates."

A U. report prepared for the Legislature in fall 2002 showed 480 students on track to graduate as engineers, an increase over the 381 in 2000. Actual undergraduate degrees awarded rose from 395 to 433 and at the graduate levels the figures were 115 in 2000 and 130 in 2002.

The effort must reach further down the line — into public education — to improve math and science preparation at that level, Stringfellow said. The U. sponsors a number of programs to encourage high school students, including women and minorities, to prepare well and to enroll in the various fields of engineering. Ideally, an interest in engineering should be fostered in children in the first few years of elementary school, he believes.

The U., which "got a fair amount of the original initiative money," did not have room or facilities to increase student participation beyond the first two years, Stringfellow said. "If we really wanted to graduate double the number, we had to remove those barriers." The initiative money went into remodeling, equipment purchases and increases in faculty and staff.

"We’ve made some of our best hires in years," he said. That infrastructure gained with a 12 percent increase in funding for the college will be there, even if the economy continues to struggle, he said.

And slowing down the production of engineers because of the current lackluster state of finances throughout the country would be a big mistake, Stringfellow said, because "strong companies actually expand during depressions."

In its report the U. noted hiring of 16 additional faculty and generation of $3.3 million in donations from corporations, including cash and in-kind equipment donations. The report showed that U. engineering graduates continue to receive job offers at higher-than-average starting salaries.

Scott Hinton, new dean of the Utah State University College of Engineering, admits that the prospect of a governor-supported engineering initiative was one of the things that lured him back to Utah. "Other states don’t have a champion like Leavitt" to support particular college programs, he said. He left Kansas, "which is in even worse shape financially," to come home to his native state.

Right off the bat, he was able to hire 14 new faculty members to serve the college’s six departments. "Now we can get rid of some of the bottlenecks" that were keeping students from progressing smoothly through programs, he said. "We have more courses taught at a better level of richness. And our labs needed updating. It’s wonderful to get new equipment that addresses our current needs."

Both the U. and USU are working toward new buildings to house engineering programs. Both are struggling to raise required matches in a time of declining donations.

The initial round of funding set off a squabble among the state’s higher education institutions, each one convinced it could make good use of a slice of the pie and contribute to the governor’s ultimate goals. The advisory board chose, however, to give the first bucks to the larger schools to build their programs.

"They felt it would not be wise to spread the first money too thin," said Rich Kendell, the governor’s aide who is overseeing the initiative. In the second year of funding, each of the institutions received a share.

The money is being used in a variety of ways. Examples: Southern Utah University has developed an integrated engineering major to prepare "general" engineers that serve the needs of south and central Utah businesses. Salt Lake Community College has undertaken a vigorous recruitment program, visiting high school students along the Wasatch Front to sell them on the future of engineering. Equipment upgrades and a process to bring administrative and training functions into one area also have been funded out of the SLCC share.

Part of Leavitt’s vision for building a strong engineering base is a covey of "high-tech high schools." The first of the schools will open next fall in a joint project among Salt Lake and Granite school districts and the University of Utah.

Al Church has been named principal, "and there are quite a few students and teachers lining up to participate," said Kendell. "We’ll begin active marketing the first of the year." The target schools are expected to offer an associate degree to students.

Kendell also points to about 385 awards of $10,000 each to "outstanding math and science teachers" to encourage further training. Lack of teachers who can lay an effective groundwork for the advanced science and math that engineering requires is a stumbling block. Scholarships and signing bonuses also are being awarded some teacher specialists to get and keep them in the public schools.

Whether or not it rises to the level of Leavitt’s hopes, the initiative will enhance training of new generations of engineers who will help "engineer" Utah’s future.

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