CRISIS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

The engineering education system has fallen into considerable disrepair at a time when there is record demand for engineering graduates. With an emphasis on the civil engineering field, the following problems are discussed: faculty recruitment and retention, the upgrading of run-down or obsolete laboratory facilities, the quality and quantity of engineering students, the need for updated curricula, the supply and demand of graduates, and the shortfall of funds affecting engineering schools. An ASCE effort to develop a plan to aid civil engineering education is discussed, and the funding problems facing the engineering schools of the California State University and Colleges are examined.