12-11-00
GE FUND AWARDS GRANTS TO CONNECT
ENGINEERING, BUSINESS EDUCATION
The GE Fund, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, has awarded Penn State two
grants totaling $nearly $475,000 to foster entrepreneurship by
integrating engineering and business learning environments for
undergraduates.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will receive close to $176,000
over two years for a multidisciplinary program involving its School of
Engineering and Engineering Technology and School of Business. The grant
further will support the development of an integrated engineering and
business curriculum, faculty development and team-teaching, and
establishment of a Center for Product Realization, an incubator for new
business ideas.
The College of Engineering at University Park will receive nearly
$300,000 over two years to support a partnership among the College of
Engineering, the Smeal College of Business Administration, and Penn
State Altoona. The three colleges will collaborate to develop and
implement faculty development and a new four-course sequence for
engineering students on the principles and practices of
entrepreneurship.
"At GE, constant innovation and boundaryless thinking are critical to
our ongoing success," said John Krenicki, CEO of GETS. "Efforts like
these help universities reinvigorate their curricula and produce
graduates with the knowledge and leadership skills we need."
Dr. John Lilley, provost and dean at Penn State Erie, said, "We are
delighted that GE and Penn State will collaborate in yet another way to
advance economic innovation. Our program will build on the strengths of
our engineering and business faculty and support entrepreneurial
initiatives. This new program will educate engineers to understand the
business environment, and it will prepare business majors to understand
engineering principals and processes."
The college and General Electric Transportation Systems (GETS) currently
maintain a wide-ranging partnership that includes remote diagnostics
research, undergraduate senior design projects, and student internships.
The e-Business Solutions unit of GETS is located in Knowledge Park at
Penn State Erie.
"The University Park grant will support engineering faculty development
programs in problem-based learning, collaborative learning, and
assessment," said Dr. Robert Pangborn, the College of Engineering's
associate dean for undergraduate studies. "We plan to involve students,
faculty, and industry mentors in an entrepreneurial business plan
competition."
Dr. Robert J. Simoneau, director of the School of Engineering and
Engineering Technology at Penn State Erie, observed "As we develop a
model for integrating business and engineering, we will test it through
our engineering senior design projects, coupled with team-taught
entrepreneurship classes. Our final outcome will be a Center for Product
Realization Processes that will serve as an incubator for new
ventures."
Roger Nozaki, program manager for higher education at the GE Fund, based
in Fairfield, Connecticut, traveled to Knowledge Park at Penn State Erie
to make the check presentation. "We're excited not only by the
potential of the individual proposals," said Nozaki, "but by the
collaboration between the campuses that will greatly multiply what we
all learn from these efforts."
-30-
Contact: Loretta Brandon
(814) 898-6063 (O)
(814) 864-9922 (H)
e-mail: lzb6@psu.edu