Task Committee on Engineering Education: Report to the Board of Direction

Engineering education, not civil engineering education alone, is in a crisis which could seriously damage the engineering profession and the national interest. Too few graduates are earning advanced degrees, so the flow of new doctoral degree holders to engineering school faculties is inadequate. Support levels for graduate students in engineering must be increased, and faculty compensation must be improved to make a career in engineering education as attractive as one in practice. Facilities and equipment are also a problem, as technological obsolescence overtakes available equipment and increased class sizes demand more laboratory facilities. External support, from industry and government sources, will be needed to adequately upgrade engineering school laboratories. Another element of the crisis is the strain put on the educational system by the magnitude of current engineering enrollments, now at an all time high. Resources available to engineering schools are too limited to adequately address these problems. ASCE is developing an action plan to address the crisis in engineering education. A three way partnership between industry, government and universities will be needed to effect long-term resolutions.