Deans' Priorities
Tell us about the College of Engineering.

Thomas D. Waite, Dean

The College of Engineering was Florida Tech’s first college, and is still the university’s largest, with more than one-third of all enrollees in a College of Engineering program. We offer programs at all levels, from baccalaureate through postdoctoral, and work hard to serve the greater good through a dynamic approach to higher education that merges traditional values in teaching, research and professional service.

How can a donor best serve the needs of undergraduate students in the college?
We really need to have mainline funding for our most important component of the undergraduate experience: the Senior Design Project. Today, students are required to do their own fundraising for each individual project, and this is done on a year-by-year basis. We hope to build a large endowment for these projects so that this critical and unique undergraduate experience is properly funded in perpetuity.

Are there also plans to help build opportunities for graduate students?
Absolutely. The primary limitation to growth in graduate student enrollment is lack of fellowship support. For the college to continue to develop its status as a world-class research center, it’s important to build the fellowship endowment. In this way, we can continue to attract the best and brightest engineering minds to Florida Tech.

As you enter the campaign, what do you see as the strengths of the college?
While that’s like being asked to name your favorite children, I’d say that our departments of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering are really strong. That’s why we are going to be raising money for endowed chairs in these departments during the Golden Anniversary Campaign. Creating these chairs will elevate these departments to an elite academic status.

Are there any other major needs for the college?
We’d like to build a state-of-the-art student design fabrication facility. The current support facilities for the senior design projects limit our students’ ability to create high caliber projects that can be nationally competitive. That’s the bottom line, really, on all of these things. We’re looking to take the next step for our students and our faculty. With the help of our alumni and friends, I know we’ll succeed.

Visit the College of Engineering Web site

Leading the Way
Florida Tech’s deans state their cases for support as the university begins the public phase of the Golden Anniversary Campaign. Click below to learn more.