Growing engineers

The goal, as set forth by Gov. Mike Leavitt, was to triple the number of engineers being pumped out of Utah's institutions of higher education by 2009. It seemed almost too much to ask, engineering leaders in the schools said at the time, and they were right. But despite the fact that funding has not risen to the level Leavitt hoped for, the governor's initiative has given a good kick-start toward increasing the state's pool of engineers.

"It's making a significant difference," said John Sutherland, who heads the Technology Initiative Advisory Board that was empaneled to oversee the distribution of funds and monitor progress. He agrees with the governor that beefing up Utah's technology base is "an important part of our economic recovery."

In 2000, when SB61 was crafted to embody Leavitt's proposals, no one knew the state's economy was about to nose-dive. But legislators, however hard-pressed to make the budget balance, have continued to put money into the initiative, although not on the level Leavitt would have liked. With another round of cutting about to begin, Sutherland and others hope the impetus of the past two years will not be slowed by reduced funding.

The state's engineering programs have used the initial money to hire faculty, upgrade labs and provide infrastructure to support more potential graduates, Sutherland said. Cutbacks would impede progress, but that base would remain intact. "It would just take us longer to meet the governor's goals," he said.

Utah was not ready for the technology boom of the past decade, "but we need to get ready for the next one," he said. Although the state can import engineers, those who are trained here are more likely to stay.

At the University of Utah, engineering majors are up 26 percent, said engineering dean Jerry Stringfellow. "It's too early to tell, but we think that conforms with the goal to double our graduates."

A U. report prepared for the Legislature in fall 2002 showed 480 students on track to graduate as engineers, an increase over the 381 in 2000. Actual undergraduate degrees awarded rose from 395 to 433 and at the graduate levels the figures were 115 in 2000 and 130 in 2002.

Deseret News graphic Engineering initiative funds Requires Adobe Acrobat.