For Immediate Release
September 5, 2002
Contact: Joanne Martin, Public Information Officer, 210/733-2147, jomartin@accd.edu
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SAC and UTSA Address
Engineering Education Crisis
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| Today, San Antonio College and University of Texas at San Antonio officials
announced new grants and an enhanced articulation agreement to help address
the state and national crisis in engineering education. Dr. Dan Dimitriu, coordinator of the SAC engineering program, announced two National Science Foundation grants, and UTSA College of Engineering Dean Zorica Pantic-Tanner described the expansion of the SAC-UTSA articulation agreement to help engineering students continue their studies. SAC President Robert Zeigler and UTSA President Ricardo Romo also participated in the announcements, in addition to Dan Wittliff, PE, President of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, who commented on the shortage of engineering graduates. The grants total $732,194 and will be used assist minority and disadvantaged students pursuing an engineering education at San Antonio College. Of that amount, one grant for $400,000 will be used for scholarships for students who major in computer science, engineering, math or science. Fifty scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded every year for four years through a project named META (Math, Engineering and Technology Award), which will also provide students with career counseling, faculty mentoring, tutoring and/or supplemental instruction while at SAC. To apply for META, a student must be enrolled full-time and major in computer science, computer technology, engineering, engineering technology, math or science at SAC. Students also must be U.S. citizens, have at least a 2.5 GPA, and demonstrate financial need. “I’m so excited we have been given this opportunity. The grant will help disadvantaged students get the solid foundation necessary to succeed in these high-tech fields,” said Dimitriu. “We will now be able to give them good support and prepare them for the great employment opportunities that await them.” The second grant, of $332,194, was awarded earlier this summer. It will be aimed at curriculum development, and will enable SAC to establish dual credit engineering courses in at least five area high schools, create web-based engineering courses, train engineering faculty in distance education, and infuse engineering curricula with state-of-the-art technology. Additional goals are to increase by 200 percent both the number of students who earn an associate’s degree in engineering at SAC and the number of engineering majors at SAC who transfer to four-year institutions. UTSA’s Pantic-Tanner assisted SAC with their grant proposals by providing letters of support and aiding in the expansion of a new articulation agreement for 2+2 transfers. The improvement allows engineering students to experience a seamless transition as they make the adjustment from community college to university-level courses. “We look forward to developing our continuing relationship with Dr. Dimitriu and his students, and we hope this grant funding will help increase the number of minority students pursuing engineering degrees in the area,” said Pantic-Tanner. For more information about the SAC Engineering Program, course transferability, and scholarship opportunities, call Dr. Dan Dimitriu, Engineering Coordinator, at 210/785-6049. |
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1300 San Pedro Ave. • San Antonio, Texas • 78212-4299 • (210) 733-2147 |