USI Board of Trustees approves new program in electrical engineering

At its regular meeting on Thursday, January 11 in Indianapolis, the University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees approved a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) program to be offered through the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education beginning in fall 2018. The proposed degree program moves next to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for approval.

“We are very excited about the USI Board of Trustees approval of a new discipline-specific program in electrical engineering. We hope to offer this program in the near future in response to a regional and statewide need for electrical engineers,” said Dr. Zane Mitchell, dean of the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education. “Our discipline-specific offerings of mechanical and manufacturing engineering have been tremendously successful; graduates from those programs are already having an impact on our local economy. We expect similar results from the Electrical Engineering Program.”

The BSEE program will offer students hands-on learning experiences, opportunities to participate in co-operative education and internships, and student organizations that participate in national engineering competitions. Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development website projects that growth in electrical engineering jobs will be 3 percent for the state and 7.3 percent for the Evansville area through 2024.

Honorary doctorates approved for Fuquays, Melton

The USI Board of Trustees approved the conferral of honorary doctoral degrees, the highest form of recognition by the University, to Dan and Janet Fuquay and to Chris Melton ’72. All degrees will be awarded at the spring 2018 Graduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, April 27.

Doctor of laws degrees will be presented to Dan and Janet Fuquay, life-long Evansville residents and entrepreneurs, who demonstrate the highest level of involvement with the University and commitment to its mission and vision through endowed scholarships, leadership and planned gifts.

A doctor of laws degree will also be presented to Melton, president of Field & Main Bank and 1972 USI graduate with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, whose legacy of commitment spans five decades. Through his involvement with Southern Indiana Higher Education, Inc. (SIHE) and the USI Foundation Board, he has been a dedicated leader and advocate for the University

In other business, the Board of Trustees received updates on current construction projects and faculty and administrative retirements.