Through these agencies and special arrangements with other universities, community colleges, and industries, the College offers selected credit courses by videotape, satellite, and fiber optics to engineering professionals. Course offerings include opportunities to earn bachelor's and master's degrees. Engineering faculty provided short courses and conferences to nearly 10,000 participants in 1997 98. To achieve goals for quality, intrinsic motivation, and diversity, the college is also extending activities to pre-college and nontraditional students and their teachers. Engineering faculty and students offer programs to introduce elementary and secondary students to engineering practice.
Programs also help their teachers present engineering concepts in the classroom.
The College of Engineering has begun offering an undergraduate degree program in electrical engineering at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has developed partnerships with several other Iowa community colleges. Technology transfer is another important component of the college's outreach mission and partnership with industry. As both a land-grant university and a college of engineering, our research focuses on being responsive to the needs of constituents. The college also seeks close partnerships with local economic development activities. Faculty and students are working in partnership with many companies to solve technical problems, help the companies grow, and enhance local and national economies.