On Solid Ground

ASEE has a firm foundation to help create the global engineer of the future

THIS IS MY final letter as ASEE president. In this letter, I would like to comment on five elements of ASEE's current foundation that will support its future contributions to engineering and engineering technology education.

First, ASEE is a strong and healthy organization with a growing membership and a record attendance at the June 2006 annual meeting. Both its financial health and its increasing membership provide a solid foundation for undertaking future initiatives.

Second, consistent with the reports Rising Above the Gathering Storm and The Engineer of 2020, ASEE has instituted the Year of Dialogue to help chart the future of engineering and engineering technology education. The questions of "what we teach" and "how we teach" and their effects on student learning are foci of the Year of Dialogue. An essential element supporting the Year of Dialogue is research in engineering and engineering technology education as reflected in the new focus from the Journal of Engineering Education on publication of archival papers.

Third, ASEE has initiated a significant activity to engage students considering engineering or engineering technology education through its programs with K-12 teachers and the publication of Engineering, Go for It! ASEE publications and the ASEE Web site provide a vibrant interface for both members and the outside world to learn about engineering and engineering technology careers as well as current ASEE activities.

Fourth, ASEE has initiated strong international collaborations as a founding member of the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies, refleeting the increasing globalization of engineering and engineering technology education.

Fifth, ASEE has served its members and the engineering community by administering fellowship and post-doctoral awards on behalf of government and nonprofit organizations. The administration of these awards is supported by grants resulting from competitive proposals and is a reflection of ASEE's strong connections to the engineering community and its cost-effective and responsive administrative organization.

These five elements position ASEE uniquely to serve its membership and to provide national and international leadership in engineering and engineering technology education. With this foundation, ASEE will focus significant effort on the preparation of a report emanating from the Year of Dialogue discussions, which were held at both the June meeting and at section and zone meetings throughout the year, to help frame the directions for engineering and engineering technology education in the future. While a number of factors driving curriculum and education pedagogy have been addressed in the past few years, partially through ABET guidelines, two elements stand out as requiring considerable future attention and careful thought:

1 ) How do we truly prepare students to be innovative and creative professionals?

2) How do we prepare students for a global workplace?

ASEE activities in both of these areas have increased significantly in the past few years with a new entrepreneurship division and a rejuvenated international division, both of which provide forums for the exchange of the best ideas and concepts to address these areas in future degree programs. A number of universities have developed excellent programs to address both of these issues; however, for many programs, the challenge of how to engage a significant majority of students in these areas remains. ASEE can play a substantial role in helping to address these important issues in the future.

In closing, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the members of ASEE, whose vision and energy are driving forces in ASEE's contributions to education, and to the ASEE staff, who are both professional and strongly committed to supporting the membership.

With a strong foundation in place, ASEE is well-positioned to continue its role in providing future global leadership in engineering and engineering technology education.

David N. Wormley is the president of ASEE and the dean of the College of Engineering at Penn State University.

Copyright AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION Summer 2007
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved