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ABET Gives Engineering Seal of Approval

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Click Photo to Enlarge Dr. Halsmer says one of the engineering program's key objectives is "to prepare [students] to be missionaries to the scientific and engineering communities."

Continuing to prove ORU's commitment to excellence in academics, the engineering major recently received reaccreditation from the internationally recognized Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). With its three concentrations in computer, mechanical, and electrical engineering, the major first received accreditation by ABET in 1993.

According to department chair Dr. Dominic Halsmer, when ABET surveys a university's program, they will typically point out flaws or suggest improvements for areas of weakness. But thankfully, Halsmer said, ORU did not receive any "deficiencies or concerns" to remedy and therefore, can spend time maintaining the strength of the program instead of working to fix problems.

Last fall, when ABET representatives were on campus surveying the major, they were impressed with the innovative ePortfolio assessment process ORU employed, as well as the quality of interaction between professors and students in the department. Small class sizes help create a dynamic between students and faculty that Halsmer refers to as "a mentoring-type relationship." Learning from ORU's quality professors, Halsmer asserts, "students gets more than just engineering. They get training in life."