At Western Kentucky University, we're counting on it, especially as we celebrate National Engineering Week this week. In recent weeks, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education received agreements between Western, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to create new baccalaureate programs in civil, mechanical and electrical engineering. These programs are important for Western to fulfill its responsibility in supporting economic development in this service region and across the state.
Economic development requires a higher level of technical education.
As the state's economy grows from a focus on tobacco and coal to a diverse array of industries, there has been a growing recognition that we must provide a better trained and better educated work force. At the forefront is the need to increase the availability of baccalaureate engineers willing to locate in all parts of the state. Beginning this fall, Western will offer programs that will allow its graduates to sit for the state licensing exam. These new baccalaureate programs are the evolution of WKU's 30-year engineering technology program, which has consistently produced practitioners ready to deliver for their employers. The practical nature of our engineering curriculum will not change.