Transcript Strengths of the Electrical Engineering Program at Suffolk

The Electrical Engineering Program
at Suffolk University
America needs engineers
• “If we’re not training engineers to make sure that they are
equipped here in this country, then companies won’t come here.
Those investments are what’s going to help to make sure that we
continue to lead this world economy.”
President Obama, debate with Mitt Romney, 10/17/12
• “A chronic shortage of engineering students threatens America’s
role as the world’s leading innovator and continues to impede our
nation’s fragile economic recovery….American universities are
simply not producing enough engineers. A McKinsey Global
Institute survey released in June found that nearly two-thirds of
U.S. employers reported that engineering and science-related jobs
were the hardest jobs to fill.”
Paul Otellini, chief executive of Intel Corp; member of the President’s Council on Jobs and
Competitiveness
ABET Accredited Program*
• ABET-Accreditation means
– International recognition of its quality
– “Best practices" in education
– Students have access to enhanced opportunities in
employment; licensure, registration and certification;
graduate education and global mobility
– Graduates capable of leading the way in innovation,
emerging technologies, and in anticipating the welfare
and safety needs of the public
(http://abet.org/why-accreditation-matters/)
* Since 2006
Student Centered Education in EE
Program
• Faculty meet about eight times during each
semester to discuss students and problems that
come up so that these can be addressed
• Faculty participate in early alert program to help
struggling students in the middle of the semester
• At the end of each semester, the faculty review
each student’s performance and letters to
students are sent—either congratulatory on high
achievement or warnings that advise students to
take reduced loads or retake certain classes
EE program is successful with students
with less strong math skills
• Most engineering programs across the US require
a minimum of 550 on the math SAT
• The EE program at Suffolk is typically successful
with students whose math SAT scores are a
minimum of 470. How?
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Small class sizes
Study groups with every EE course
Good advising on what courses to take
Having students repeat courses
Offering remedial courses
Nurturing faculty
Summer 2012 email from an alumna (Math
SAT score of 470 and a HS GPA of 2.7))
• I work as a Quality Engineer at Sensitech Inc in
Beverly, MA and all this credit goes to SU and
its Engineering dept. My education at Suffolk
helped me get to this point in my life. I really
appreciate all the encouragement and support
I got from all my professors at Suffolk….
Another summer 2012 email from an
alumnus(an honor student)
I have just finished my MEng Degree at Cornell few weeks
ago and I am currently down in Houston, TX. I am starting
my work assignment as a REMS Engineer at Schlumberger
Limited - the top oilfield services company in the world.
I am very pleased to say that I had a wonderful one-year
experience at Cornell and I would say that my education
from Suffolk University was a great plus for that. My
experience in analog circuitry was highly valuable. Believe
it or not Cornell undergraduate students have a very
minimal exposure to lab work the way we do…
Students’ comments from Spring 2012 program survey
about what they like about the EE program
• I like the teacher always available for student questions.
• Personal and close knit community, professors seem approachable
and treat you as an individual.
• It is small and close knit.
• Small class size, availability of professors.
• The teachers are great, they really care if you do well; the class size
is really nice because your teachers really get to know you; we cover
a lot of material
2009 Alumni Survey Results for level of academic support
• 70% of alumni respondents gave the EE program a 5 (highest)
• 30% gave it a 4 (second highest)
Student Centered Education
• Personal emails from ABET team after their 2010 visit:
– It is obvious that you are putting the well-being and the
interest of the student at the top of your priorities. You are
doing an excellent job at that-an EE chairman at a wellknown HBCU.
– You and your faculty and staff colleagues are clearly
committed to your students and dedicated to providing
them the very best program possible- a dean emeritus at a
large engineering school.
– …it's obvious that you have built a department of
competent, team-oriented, enthusiastic, caring people: a
senior engineer at a large defense company.
Partnerships with the power industry
• EE program partners with the following power
engineering companies which provide
internships and jobs to graduates as well as
other support:
– Phoenix Electric Corp.
– Three C Corp
– Electroswitch Corp
– Omicron
IEEE Power and Energy Society
• Partner to encourage students to go into
power engineering
• In October 2012, awarded two students
scholarships which come with internships
• Power industry has huge need for electrical
engineers since more than 60% of its
workforce will be retiring in the next decade
Center for Energy Work Force Development
Companies of other members of
Industrial Advisory Board
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MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Draper Laboratory
I Robot
AMD Corp
Bose Corp
Canon Design
BBN (Raytheon)
New Partnership
• The American Council of Engineering
Companies of Massachusetts: AMCE/MA,
located in Beacon Hill
– AMCE/MA is in desperate need of electrical
engineers to specialize in designing electrical
systems for buildings
– Has scholarship opportunities for students
Graduate of 2011
Identifier
Year
Graduated
Major
AH
PV
2011
2011
EE
EE
KL
SP
EB
2011
2011
2011
EE
EE
EE
FA
2011
EE
Initial or Current
Employment/
Job Title/
Other Placement
Engineer at EdgeTech
Graduated Cornell;
REMS Engineer at
Schlumberger
Grad Stud. Ohio State
Field Engr. at NSTAR
Junior Firmware Engineer at
Battenfeld Gloucester
Engineering
General Manager in a Saudi
Arabian company SNS