McCabe was interviewed by Patrick M. Callan, president of the Center. English majors are to be forgiven if they prefer to dwell on the symbolism. The class is called Designing the Future, and it serves as the introduction to Smith's new undergraduate engineering program. It is literally a course in mechanical and electrical design. But it also marks the first engineering track at an all-women college, and only the third at a top liberal arts school.
Symbolism is, in fact, a part of the equation.
At capacity, it is projected to produce only 25 graduates per year, beginning some time after 2004. Smith can't do that alone, but we can send a message here. The New York Times doesn't put you on the front page for signing an agreement with Dartmouth. National publicity was not the only payoff. Corporate sponsors including Boeing, Ford and Hewlett-Packard, anxious to recruit women engineers, have showered money and equipment on the campus.