Merging Languages and Engineering - Grandin, John

. .

Résumé :
At the University of Rhode Island over 25% of engineering undergraduates simultaneously complete a second degree in German, French, Spanish, or Chinese. They furthermore spend an entire year abroad, one semester as exchange students at a partner university and six months as professional engineering interns at a cooperating company. With a close-to 100% placement rate, over 400 graduates, and numerous national awards, the URI International Engineering Program (IEP) is a proven path of preparation for young engineers in today's global workplace. The author of this volume, John Grandin, is an emeritus professor of German who developed and led the IEP for twenty-three years. In these pages, he provides a two-pronged approach to explain the origin and history of this program rooted in such an unusual merger of two traditionally distinct higher education disciplines. He looks first at himself to explain how and why he became an international educator and what led him to his lasting passion for the IEP. He then provides an historical overview of the program's origin and growth, including looks at the bumps and bruises and ups and downs along the way. Grandin hopes that this story will be of use and value to other educators determined to reform higher education and align it with the needs of the 21st Century. Table of Contents: How I became a Professor of German / My Unexpected Path to Engineering / Building a Network of Support / Sidetracked by a Stint in the Dean's Office / Reshaping the Language Mission / Struggling to Institutionalize / Partnering with Universities Abroad / Going into the Hotel and Restaurant Business / Taking the Lead Nationally / Building the Chinese IEP / Staying Involved after Retirement / The Broader Message for Higher Education / Conclusions

Biographie:
John M. Grandin is Professor Emeritus of German and Director Emeritus of the International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island, an interdisciplinary curriculum, through which students complete simultaneous degrees (BA and BS) in German, French, Spanish, or Chinese, and in an engineering discipline. Grandin has received numerous awards for his work combining languages and engineering, including the Federal Cross of Honor (First Class) from the Federal Republic of Germany, the Award for Educational Innovation from ABET, and the Michael P. Malone Award for Excellence in International Education from NASULGC, the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) Outstanding Educator Award, the DAAD Alumni Association Award for International Exchange, and the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL) Award for Distinguished Service in the Profession. He has published widely on such cross-disciplinary initiatives and has been the principle investigator for several funded projects related to the development of the International Engineering Program. Grandin also founded and organized the Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education....