The University of South Carolina in Columbia plans to reach into middle
and high schools to grow engineering majors to meet an increasing
statewide demand.
USC has launched an aggressive campaign to increase undergraduate
enrollment in engineering by 30 percent to 1,630 by 2010, said Michael
Amiridis, dean of USC's College of Engineering and Information
Technology.
The state desperately needs more engineers and computer scientists, he
said, but enrollment in such programs has declined nationally.
Amiridis said many students who might want to enroll fail to take
enough math and science courses in high school to qualify for admission.
He also said students might not choose to pursue a career as an engineer
because they don't understand what an engineer does or how much the field
has changed. "We're the good guys," he said of engineers. "We're the
people who solve problems, who help the environment."
Officials at Clemson University and The Citadel said they face similar
challenges.
Amiridis said USC has several efforts under way to boost enrollment in
the future, including sponsoring robotics events for middle and high
school students to spark their interest in science and technology;
training for teachers to help them develop engineering and technology
programs and efforts to introduce high school students to the engineering
school.
It's unfortunate that more students aren't enrolling, he said.
Graduates can earn between $45,000 and $65,000 their first year.
Dennis Fallon, dean of engineering at The Citadel, said he's constantly
trying to increase the number of engineering students at the school. Now,
about 300 are enrolled. He offers high school students the opportunity to
spend a day and a night at the school to better understand what's it's
like to be an engineering student and a Citadel cadet.
Steve Melsheimer, associate dean of Clemson's engineering school where
3,200 students are enrolled, said not being adequately prepared in high
school not only stops students from enrolling but can lead to them
dropping out once they enroll. He said students who lack math skills
struggle.
Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.
