Manufacturers Support Engineering Technology Degree Programs

Engineering Technology Scholarships Sponsored by Manufacturers
The Central Louisiana Manufacturing Manager’s Council is partnering with the Northwestern State University Foundation to establish a scholarship program to benefit students from 10 central Louisiana parishes who pursue an applied engineering degree in engineering technology at Northwestern State. Manufacturers in the region are are encouraging more high school students to pursue careers in engineering technology, where jobs are available as equipment technologists, quality control technologists, process control programmers and other applied engineering roles. Northwestern State offers one of the few four-year technical manufacturing curriculums in central Louisiana.

Engineering Technology provides two degree paths
A degree in Engineering Technology prepares students for a wide range of applied engineering career fields from oil and gas production to traditional manufacturing; from wood product harvest and processing to medical technology support in hospital and research environments. The salaries for either path average $45,000 and range from $30,000 to $100,000 including benefits. Northwestern State’s two Bachelor of Science degrees are Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) and Industrial Engineering Technology (IET). They primarily center around physical processes management.

Pipe Flow Software
Pipe Flow (www.pipeflow.com) donated a 25 user network license for its premier Pipe Flow Expert Lite software program to allow NSU engineering technology students to complete pipe system designs for their University projects. The Pipe Flow Expert software will allow the students to calculate flow rates, pressure drops and pumping requirements in order to check results against their own piping calculations.

DID YOU KNOW?
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY IS UNIQUE IN LOUISIANA
The NSU Industrial Engineering Technology Program is the only one of its kind in Louisiana. IET students learn to develop, implement, and improve integrated manufacturing systems that include materials, facilities, operations, personnel, costs, and information. They learn to use appropriate analytical and computational procedures to create efficient and effective integrated systems. CURRENTLY, ONLY TEN FOUR-YEAR IET PROGRAMS ARE ETAC OF ABET ACCREDITED NATIONWIDE.

ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EET STUDENTS GET INTERNSHIPS! Students learn to analyze, test, build, operate, and maintain electronic systems. Students will also manage, maintain, and install low voltage/power systems, automation, and controls. Opportunities for work experience through internships are available with most of these companies: GE Medical Equipment, Haliburton, Shaw Industries, Crest Operations, MARTCO, Boise Wood Products, Gilchrist Construction, AT&T, Dresser and Lufkin Industries.

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY GRADUATES ARE IN GREAT DEMAND BY EMPLOYERS

ET GRADUATES GET JOBS!  Even when times are tough and the economy is down, graduates of the ET programs at NSU are sought after by employers. Even today, new employers are contacting the department in hopes of getting resumes from graduating seniors. The Department of Engineering Technology is a University of Louisiana Area of Excellence.

We Need Your Help!
With the continued strong investment in new manufacturing facilities and modernizing existing manufacturing operations in Central Louisiana, it is critical to strengthen our workforce development efforts focused on manufacturing. This focus includes university degree programs in the region associated with manufacturing. The NSU Engineering Technology curriculum connects clearly with manufacturing as evidenced by the placement of graduates from this program. Our desire is to put in place steps to increase the student enrollment over the next 4 years from 163 students and move to the 250 – 300 student enrollment level. To accomplish this increase, the expectation is that the students from the CLEDA(Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance) region will increase from 69 to 150 students with high school representation increasing from 49% to 80% of the high schools in the region. The parishes that will be represented are Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon, and Winn. For a complete list of eligible schools, please click HERE.

We would like to communicate and market the NSU Engineering Technology program to each community and each high school in Central Louisiana during the 2013/2014 school year. To accomplish this effort, we would like to offer at least one NSU Engineering Technology scholarship to each of the 51 high schools in this region, starting with the 2014/2015 school year.

Manufacturers, businesses, and individuals are asked to contribute funds to the NSU Foundation through the Central La. Manufacturing Manager’s Council designated for a graduating senior with: (1) preference from a specific high school; or (2) preference from any high school in a specific parish. NSU will match the scholarship award. The desire is to offer up to 51 – $1,000 scholarships for one year for an incoming freshman. In addition, up to 5 – $1,000 scholarships will be offered from our council for upper-class students successfully completing coursework in the NSU Engineering Technology program. The potential contribution needed for these 56 scholarships is $56,000 with $28,000 from manufacturers and $28,000 from NSU.

Any level of contribution is appreciated. For contributions less than $1,000, the funds will be pooled together with a $1,000 scholarship given in the name of the Central La. Manufacturing Council and the NSU Foundation. For contributions of $1,000 or more, the scholarship is given in the name of the company or individual and the NSU Foundation. All companies or individuals providing scholarship funds will be recognized in CLEDA and NSU Foundation communications.

Future NSU Students
If any future NSU students would like to apply for these scholarships, please click HERE. Make sure to include your engineering major in the application process.

Giving Levels
$0 – $499—————Bronze Level

$500 – $999————Silver Level
$1,000 + —————Gold Level

Please click here for more information on giving to NSU Engineering Technology. Also, you can mail donations’ checks to support faculty activities (Please make checks payable to NSU Foundation and indicate “Engineering Technology Support Fund” on the check memo) to the attention of Mr. Van Erikson at the address below.

Primary Contact:
Van Erikson
Assistant Director of Alumni & Development
Alumni Center
535 University Parkway
Natchitoches, Louisiana 71497
Phone: 318-357-5213
Fax: N/A
eriksonv@nsula.edu