Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation Makes $1.0 Million Available in Effort to Change Manufacturing Education - Year 2001 Grant Program Aims to Close Competency Gaps
5 September 2000
Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation Makes $1.0 Million Available in Effort to Change Manufacturing Education - Year 2001 Grant Program Aims to Close Competency Gaps
DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 5 Looking for a manufacturing
engineer with a "Seal of Approval?" If a future manufacturing engineer
graduates from a program funded by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Education Foundation (SME-EF), he or she will have the proficiencies industry
needs and is looking for. Helping colleges and universities produce engineers
ready for the real world, SME's Education Foundation continues its national
effort to support change in manufacturing education through its Year 2001
Grant Program for the Manufacturing Education Plan (MEP).
Now in its fourth year of funding, the MEP has already totaled $4 million
to 27 colleges and universities, more than any other professional engineering
society in America. For the year 2001, SME-EF will issue grant awards based
on how well proposals target and address existing competency gaps experienced
by graduating manufacturing engineers and technologists.
Identification of these competency gaps formulated the groundwork of the
Manufacturing Education Plan and remains the primary focus of the Foundation's
cash grants.
"As was the case in the last three years, we expect strong competition for
next year's MEP grants from schools eager to change curricula to better serve
industry," said Foundation president, Raymond G. Adams.
Designed to help colleges, universities and technical schools develop
better manufacturing engineering curricula, the SME Education Foundation
established the grants program to foster change and allow academia to work
towards the development of more industry-responsive curricula.
The 2001 Grant Program seeks initiatives and innovative programs,
mandating educational standards highly regarded by industry employers. The
program is designed to increase the likelihood that new graduates from
universities and community colleges will be better educated and trained.
SME's goal is to make manufacturing and companies more effective by
developing its workforce -- providing technical information, professional
development tools and access to industry leaders. In tandem, SME-EF provides
support to the manufacturing community through the Manufacturing Education
Plan and is advancing manufacturing education for K-12, college students,
graduates and professionals. SME-EF is partnering with industry and education
to provide what they need to be successful.
Primary Funding Criteria
Requests for funding should address one or more of the "competency gaps"
which industry says exist among recently hired engineering students. These
gaps include: business knowledge/skills; project management: written
communication; supply chain management; specific manufacturing processes; oral
communication/listening; international perspective; manufacturing process
control; manufacturing systems; quality; problem solving; teamwork/working
effectively with others; materials; and product/process design.
All proposals must involve partnerships between industry and academia.
The partnership must provide "hands-on" experience for students, integrating
at least two of the four eligible funding areas (Curriculum Development,
Capital Equipment, Student Development, Faculty Development), and have dollar-
for-dollar matching support.
Submission and Deadline
Proposals must be received by the SME Education Foundation no later than
December 8, 2000. Faxed proposals will not be accepted. For more
information, contact Randy Maiers, director, SME Education Foundation at
313-271-1500, ext. 1708 or visit the Foundation Web site at
http://www.sme.org/foundation .
The SME Education Foundation's mission is to serve the manufacturing
community by providing support for the advancement of manufacturing education.
Since the launch of the Manufacturing Education Plan in 1998, SME-EF has made
19 major awards totaling over $4.0 million to colleges and universities
throughout North America including $1.1 million for the year 2000. Since its
inception in 1979, SME's Education Foundation has made cash grants of over
$12.8 million and In-kind grants of more than $80.0 million to 280 different
colleges and universities.
SME, headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., is the world's leading professional
society serving the manufacturing industries. Through its publications,
expositions, professional development resources and member programs, SME
influences more than 500,000 manufacturing executives, managers and engineers.
Founded in 1932, SME has some 60,000 members in 70 countries and supports a
network of hundreds of chapters worldwide.