New Engineering Honors Program announced; Bengiamin named director

The new College of Engineering Honors Program at California State University is in development and now has its first director and its inaugural council of faculty for guidance.

Engineering Dean Michael G. Jenkins, who made the announcements last week, expects the first group of students (freshman and transfer) to enroll for the fall 2008 semester.

The new program aims to attract top engineering students and provide them training that emphasizes academic achievement, leadership, service, global perspective, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Jenkins announced that Dr. Nagy Bengiamin, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Fresno State since 1999, will serve as the program’s first director.

Joining Bengiamin and Jenkins on the Engineering Honors Council are engineering faculty Dr. Fareed Nader, Dr. Albert Heaney, Dr. Jesus Larralde, Dr. Satya Mahanty and Dr. Ram Nunna.

Jenkins made the announcements Friday, Feb. 1, during the university’s tribute to Air Force Col. Rick Husband, the commander of the space shuttle Columbia, and his six crewmates who died during a re-entry accident five years earlier.

Col. Husband received a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Fresno State in 1990, which he credited with helping him realize his dream of space exploration. He was named Engineering’s Top Dog Outstanding Alumnus in 2002.

A year ago, the Boeing Company established the Husband-Boeing Honors Scholarship endowment at Fresno State with a $2 million gift to be a cornerstone of the Engineering Honors Program. Applications for the initial Husband-Boeing Honors Scholarships will be accepted through Feb. 29.

The scholarships are four-year, full-tuition awards to 20 talented and motivated students from Central California studying engineering or technology. Scholarship holders will have access to individualized learning options, research projects, access to industry leaders and opportunities for internships and hands-on learning.

“The components of this new program will capitalize on the College of Engineering’s strong community partnerships and linkages,” said Jenkins, acknowledging “an 86-year tradition of educating engineers and construction managers.”

“The establishment of the College’s Honors Program will greatly enhance the existing academic programs and give College of Engineering students an important edge as they graduate and become successful professionals.”

Fresno State’s College of Engineering offers nationally accredited programs in construction management and in civil, computer, electrical, geomatics and mechanical engineering.

To support the Engineering Honors Program, Jenkins envisions multiple honors scholarships and also housing within the college the engineering honor societies Chi Epsilon, Eta Kappa, Lambda Sigma, Pi Tau Sigma, Sigma Lambda Chi and Tau Beta Pi.

The Feb. 1 ceremony was held at the Col. Rick Husband Memorial Plaque in the lobby of the Engineering East Building. Earlier that day, Engineering officials and students gathered in the building to view televised coverage of a memorial held by NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

Fresno State President John D. Welty, Dr. Peter N. Smits, the Vice President for University Advancement, and engineering alumnus Sam Iacobellis attended that NASA memorial at the invitation of Col. Husband’s widow, Evelyn Husband-Thompson.

Husband-Thompson acknowledged President Welty and credited Fresno State with helping inspire her husband. She cited the university’s memorial wreath presentation as an example of observances being held throughout the nation to remember the Columbia astronauts.

For more information about the College of Engineering Honors Program, call 559.278.2500.