USD Magazine, Fall 1992

sion program with two of the 21 required courses offered to freshmen and two or three others in the sophomore year. Fourteen freshmen expressed interest in the electrical engineering program in 1986. Of those, five went on to complete the program. All are working now-two are on nuclear submarines in the Navy, two at electronics firms and one in private business. Seven students graduated in spring 1992. Of those, some are still interviewing, but most-because of the faculty's strong ties with industry and their emphasis on placement-have found jobs. Kanneman hopes the 33 freshmen entering the program this fall find a more robust employment environ– ment upon graduation. However, he is confident that with the continued assistance of faculty and the place– ment office, graduates will continue to find challenging opportunities as engineers. "In 1986, when the first class began taking courses, engineering and the economy were very robust," he says. "But the economic climate had changed by the time they gradu– ated. Yet they have all been placed." Kanneman took the job at USD because he expected it to be reward– ing and a lot of work. He hasn't been disappointed. "It has been enjoyable working with the administration and facul– ty," he says. "USD students are delightful. The community has been very receptive. My faculty has been very supportive, and each has con– tributed significantly to the develop– ment of the program." But that doesn't mean all the hard work is over. "We will certainly continue to evolve and develop the electrical

engineering experience," Kanneman says. "We want to add several offer– ings, including computer engineer– ing and bioinstrumentation. We want to expand course offerings, as well as look at fundamentals. We are looking at expanding into other basic branches of engineering. In the

Provisions have been made for a fourth lab if increased enrollment demands it. All labs have been relo– cated to Loma Hall. Kanneman said the first two labs are well equipped to meet the cur– rent enrollment, and thanks to con– tinuing donations and discounts from companies like Wavetek, Hewlett-Packard, Tektronics and John Fluke Manufacturing, the lat– est technology is available for the newest lab. "We have the equipment essential for a modern E.E. program," Kanne– man says. "Because we are building a new program, we are able to look ahead of the curve. We can project where engineering is going as well as where it has been, unlike labs at universities with a long history of engineering programs. Because these schools can't afford to phase out all of their equipment and start from scratch, their equipment is less mod– ern than ours." The USD lab even outpaces the equipment at some local industries. I]] uring that first year, Kanneman, who contin– ues to teach courses along with his adminis– trative duties, guided undergraduates considering the elec– trical engineering program to prereq– uisite courses and worked closely with members of local industry to strengthen their ties with USD. Classes began during the fall of 1987 with freshmen and sopho– mores starting their coursework. Two classes of undergraduates could start at the same time because the program is an intensive upper-divi-

"We will certainly

continue to evolve

and develop

the electrical

engineering experience:'

long term, we want three accredited engineering programs. And we need to continue to develop and expand our faculty and student body. "How long will that take?" he asks. "As long as it takes to do it right." Free-lance writer Dianne Ludlam last wrote for USD Magazine on Professional Excellence in Sports.