School of Technology
The School of Technology has experienced many changes since its inception in 1902, but one thing has always remained the same: a commitment to using hands-on learning to prepare our students for success. We believe our students learn best when they work with our faculty on projects, on equipment and in classrooms that provide practical experiences that give them a better understanding of their work and a competitive advantage in the job market.
 New technologies introduced in the classroom help simulate experiences that students can expect in the workplace and provide the tools necessary for the workers of today and tomorrow. In today’s fast-paced world, technology is changing rapidly, making it necessary for us to work even harder at keeping our students on the cutting edge of their chosen professions.
Finding affordable ways to deliver a quality education to our students presents challenges. The cost of implementing newtechnologies and training faculty and staff to use them remains high. Our faculty members look forward to opportunities to keep current with advancing methods, but funds are not always available to support their efforts.
We can only create such opportunities through your support. That’s why we’re creating an endowed Technology Future Fund, with a goal of raising $500,000 to generate the annual funds to allow us to keep up to date with technological advancements and provide maintenance on existing technologies. This fund is integral to our future and the future of our graduates.
Specific Uses for the Technology Future Fund:
Career and Technical Education
* Provide educational technologies for teachers and our future leaders
* Enhance existing equipment and acquire new tools for new technologies and expanded applications
Career and Organizational Studies
* Deliver courses at remote off-campus locations
* Enhance our graduates’ ability to compete in the job market by providing them the tools to gain the background and experience needed to successfully enter the worlds of industry, education and government
Industrial Technology
* Enhance our students’ ability to manage technology through the use of professional tools not currently available to them
* Enhance important facilities that directly impact our ability to provide accredited programs
*Provide student groups the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge to their members through competitions and other events
* Upgrade existing lab equipment and facilities
* Allow experts from industry to give on-campus training to groups of students
Graduate Program
* Equip our students and faculty with the necessary tools needed for important research
* Deliver graduate courses on- and off-campus in the most efficient means possible.
Although the primary mission of the University is teaching, research and intellectual contributions are an integral part of instruction. Research activities enhance teaching and in many cases, assist in the accreditation process of many qualifying programs. Faculty and graduate students use of the School’s scanning electron microscope is a prime example of the research the School is conducting with little support from state funds. This research is important for the classroom and may have an impact in the plastics industry and medical field, as well as in other materials used in manufacturing. Faculty are encouraged to conduct research and publish journal articles that induce thought, however budget constraints do not support the time and resources needed to conduct such research.
A Faculty Research Enhancement Fund of $500,000 would provide the anticipated $21,000 per year needed to support faculty research efforts. This research provides a more meaningful and applicable method of instruction that our students find important in preparing them for their chosen career.
Our faculty strives to keep the learning process challenging and rewarding for students, but it is not easy without the resources necessary to support these processes. State-appropriated funds are distributed between educational programs, but often times do not allow for enhancement of academic programs. Additional dollars earmarked for programs can provide that “little extra” needed to enhance our academic programs and develop them into a true “program of excellence” in each area. Whether it is for resource materials, field trips, workbooks, software, or other instruction tools, these monies can make a difference in staying on the cutting edge, and keeping students enthused.
An initial $50,000 endowment fund would provide the necessary $2 - $3,000 per year needed in each program.
To provide leadership within each discipline, the School needs to employ distinguished faculty with successful records in teaching and research that can involve and mentor students and faculty in research, consulting, executive education, and teaching. Distinguished professors would have the time and resources to be catalysts for innovation in curricula and teaching methodology that would strengthen our academic programs. Also, as distinguished professors publish their research and make presentations to academic and professional organizations, national recognition and prestige would accrue to the naming donor and the School.
Depending upon the discipline, a $2 - $3 million endowment is needed to support a full-time faculty position, generating $90,000 - $135,000 annually. In addition to salary, an endowed professorship would provide support for graduate assistants, conference participation, and release time for research.
The cost of higher education continues to rise each year and financial aid available to students increase at a much slower pace. Student scholarships created through private funding are an important tool in recruiting the best students. The qualifying criteria and selection process is set by the donor. Endowed scholarships range from a corpus of $10,000 to $150,000 and up and typically generate awards from $425 - $6,750.
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