The involvement of more industrial practitioners directly in the delivery of engineering education, although highly beneficial for education, will also alter the employment patterns and profiles of faculty. Tenure policies will be affected, and alternative academic employment patterns will emerge. Over time, then, it is likely that the number of academic engineering programs in the United States will decline. Other potential implications may be envisioned, and undoubtedly many surprises await. More than that, we believe it must be pursued.
Global engineering is already a reality.
Engineering education and the education system must adapt to that reality. Philip Condit is president and CEO of The Boeing Company. R. Byron Pipes is president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.