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Session 3561

Industry and EUROTECH: Partners in International Engineering Education

Richard P. Long and Kandace Einbeck University of Connecticut

INTRODUCTION

As the U.S. seeks to expand its foreign trade, the need for American engineers capable of functioning in the global marketplace increases. These engineers must be capable of understanding cultures other than their own and must develop some skills with foreign languages. Developing an international engineering program in an English speaking country requires considerable analysis. There are many cultures and languages from which to choose. How can an engineering school intending to make these opportunities available to its students, identify the best way to proceed? An analysis of local industry indicated that German was the best choice for the State of Connecticut.

The need for engineers educated to function in the global marketplace is well known in industrial circles, but to make engineering students aware of the career advantages of this path is difficult. One of the problems is the demanding nature of the engineering undergraduate program. The limited career vision of young students beginning the freshman year of engineering requires that the opportunities be packaged in an enticing program and properly presented. To overcome these impediments and attract the students to a program of study that will enhance their careers, we incorporated several items into the five-year, dual degree EUROTECH Program: an internship abroad, study toward an additional degree in German, lectures in technical subjects in German, and the use of German-speaking engineers as role models. Described herein is the cooperation between industry and the School of Engineering at the University of Connecticut that resulted from this choice.

INDUSTRIAL INTERESTS

Connecticut is a small state with a substantial base of sophisticated manufacturing. Jet engines, helicopters, elevators, and tools are but a few of the products produced in the state by companies founded in the U.S. but now having a presence in foreign countries of which Germany seems to be a frequent location. Of the foreign subsidiaries in the State, German firms are the most numerous by a wide margin, having more than 80. In addition the State Legislature signed a Sister-State agreement with the State of Baden-Württemberg in Germany in 1991 and since then about 238 students from Connecticut universities have participated in the various opportunities that the agreement provides. In the past several years, officials from the State of Connecticut have visited Germany twice with the desire of attracting more companies to locate subsidiaries in the state.

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Long, R. P., & Einbeck, K. (1998, June), Industry And Eurotech: Partners In International Engineering Education Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7186