The well-funded U College of Engineering may soon be receiving even more money, as lawmakers are considering allocating $3 million in additional funding to the Engineering Initiative.
The Utah State Legislature’s Engineering Initiative was established in 2001 to dramatically increase the number of engineering graduates in the state of Utah.
Members of the engineering industry and the higher education community are lobbying for $2 million in new ongoing funds and an additional $1 million in one-time funding this legislative session.
“The initiative has been absolutely transformational,” said Marilyn Davies, director of development and external relations for the college. “It’s been a success on the academic front and the research front.”
Between 2000 and 2005, the U’s College of Engineering has increased its number of graduates by 48 percent, according to a report from the Technology Initiative Advisory Board (TIAB), which oversees and governs the statewide initiative.
If lawmakers grant the funds, it will increase the amount set aside for the initiative in the yearly state budget to around $7 million, Davies said.
Legislative appropriations, in addition to university and private funds, have helped the college add significant capacity in faculty, infrastructure and space.
The engineering industry supports the initiative, and some industry leaders testified in favor of the increase funding at a Jan. 30 meeting of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
“Increasing the available supply of engineers is important,” said John Sutherland, vice-president of engineering for Cemaphore Systems, Inc. “It provides human capital that drives business growth in the state. The results have been extremely positive to date.”
Legislators said they were committed to keeping the initiative healthy.
“The Engineering Initiative has really been a portion of the economic development for the state, and I think that we will definitely continue to support that,” said Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Salt Lake City.
“The higher education committee is very committed to the initiative. They’ve been targeted funds that have had significant benefits already,” said Rep. Patricia Jones, D-Salt Lake City.
Student advisory committee member Michael Hoepfner, junior in chemical engineering, said the extra money would be wonderful and is sure it will benefit facilities. He also said he hopes some of the money can be used for undergraduate scholarships.
Engineering faculty members hope they will continue reaping the benefits of the program.
In the past two years, the U has leaped 10 spots to be ranked as the 57th-best engineering program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
The college is also ranked 49th in the nation for externally funded research, according to the TIAB report.
“I think there is tremendous excitement about where we’re going in the future. We are stronger than we’ve ever been, and it’s all because of this,” Davies said.