Don Van believes that credentials will be most important to engineering graduates entering the job market. He encourages Union students to do two things in preparation: pursue licensure and obtain a patent.

The latter is part of an overall departmental philosophy called Think Invention. Van is department chair and an associate professor of engineering. Previously, he worked for Pfizer Inc., Honeywell International, GPU Nuclear in New Jersey and Commonwealth Edison in Chicago.

�Our faculty comes from an industrial and design background,� Van said. �College is a good time for students to be thinking innovatively. We encourage them to design and get a patent by graduation.�

Even when companies or institutions will hold the actual patent, engineers still need to apply for it, because their name will be attached to the patent, according to Van.

�It�s not about revenue,� he said. �What it adds to your credentials is the most important factor.�

�The whole concept fosters creative thinking,� added Jeannette Russ, assistant professor of engineering, who previously worked for Hewlett-Packard. �We want students to see the bigger picture. An engineer is a creative person. The Think Invention idea tries to foster that creativity. We want students to see how engineering is applied and how it becomes practical.�

Union�s engineering program is in its third year of operation and will be up for accreditation after its first majors graduate in 2005. Majors choose a degree program in general engineering with an emphasis area in either mechanical or electrical.

�Current literature really points out that a general engineering degree is becoming more and more valuable,� Russ said. �There seems to be too much specialization in the field.�

The challenge in setting up a new program was making it distinctive.

�Union University is a teaching institution,� Van said. �We had to decide how to differentiate our program from those at larger research institutions. The Think Invention idea was an easy thing to put into place. So was encouraging students to seek licensure.�

Russ agrees.

�When we looked into it, we found that only 9% of electrical engineers seek licensure, compared to 44% of civil engineers,� she said.

Already, the faculty encouragement is paying off. Several students are working on projects for patents, even though they�re still a year or two from graduation.

�The choices are many for engineering graduates,� Russ said. �We want to open students� eyes to what life is like outside and to the options available to them.�