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History of the College of Engineering |
The Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering now serves as home to
over 1,300 engineering and computer science students working towards
completion of 23 different degrees. Advanced research and new programs,
such as informatics, biomedical engineering, and entertainment
engineering, make the College an exciting place for higher education.
UNLV's engineering and computer science programs haven't always been this
large, however. As with other UNLV programs, Engineering reflects the
recent and fantastic growth of Las Vegas and the dynamic Southern Nevada
region.
Engineering has had a long history at UNLV beginning in 1962 with the
hiring of Herb Wells, a local mining engineer, to offer courses that could
lead to metriculation to the bachelor's programs located in Reno, Nevada.
Local growth led to the establishment of the School of Engineering in 1976
housed within the College of Science. Things changed dramatically in 1984
when the University of Nevada Board of Regents approved of separate
bachelor and masters degrees in civil engineering, mechanical engineering,
electrical engineering, and computer science. That same year, plans were
being finalized to construct the new Thomas Beam Engineering Complex to
house all of the engineering and allied programs. Under the direction of
Dean David Emerson, the university hired Dr. William Wells as the first
Director of the School of Engineering in 1986. Accreditation was sought
through ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and
by 1987, all eligible engineering programs had received accreditation.
By 1988, the Thomas T. Beam Engineering Complex was well underway and the School of
Engineering separated from its colleagues in the Sciences to form the
Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. Construction was completed in
1989 and the College's programs were consolidated into this single,
multidisciplinary building for the first time.
The year 1990 marked two landmarks for the College. A new $10
million supercomputer center titled the National Supercomputing Center for
Energy and the Environment, took up residence in Building A of the Thomas T.
Beam Engineering Complex. This Center greatly enhanced the ability of Nevada
engineering and computer science faculty to conduct numerical research.
The first engineering Ph.D. program was also approved by the Board of
Regents, in Civil Engineering, marking the growth of research and advanced
degree programs at UNLV. By 1991, doctoral programs were available in all
four academic departments of the College of Engineering.
The late 1990's saw transition in leadership from Dean William Wells to
Dean Ronald Sack in 1999. Dean Darrell Pepper led the College in 2001 and
Dean Eric Sandgren began his term in 2003. The rate of advance in
research and in academic programs has not slowed in the 21st century. New
masters programs in biomedical engineering, aerospace engineering, and
materials and nuclear engineering have created new fields for academic
pursuit. In 2005, the College inaugurated its first new academic
department in over 25 years, the Department of Aerospace Studies. Headed
by Colonel Mike Hogan, this new department houses Nevada's Air Force ROTC
Program for the education of the nation's next generation of officers. The
year 2005 also marked the College's first foray into sponsoring the FIRST
Competition where over 3,000 high school students converged on the Thomas
and Mack Stadium to compete in this nationwide robotics competition.
Research in the College has expanded from $3 million per year in 2001
to over $12 million per year in 2005. To continue this growth, the
university is constructing the new Science, Engineering, and Technology
Building (SETB) adjacent to the Thomas Beam Engineering Complex. This
200,000 square foot laboratory complex will support collaborative research
in engineering and in the sciences. Scheduled for completion in late
2007, Nevada's next generation of engineers and scientists will be using
state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and computing equipment in this new
Building to further advance technology.
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