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April 10, 2000 Contact: Three Universities Collaborate to Offer Engineering Education SPOKANE, Wash. -- The presidents of Washington State University, Gonzaga University, and University of Idaho have agreed to develop a first-of-its-kind educational offering for the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area. The university leaders will sign a formal agreement April 26 to create a new engineering education consortium. Industry leaders and educators initiated the consortium concept in 1998 when they came together to discuss emerging technologies and to develop a consensus on the priorities for engineering education in the region. Computer engineering was identified as a key area in which more educational offerings were essential to success, both for existing employers and for business recruitment to the region. Presidents Samuel Smith, WSU; Robert Hoover, UI; and the Rev. Robert Spitzer, GU, will sign the agreement at a consortium launch celebration. The event is scheduled from 9-10 a.m. April 26 in the fourth floor boardroom at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. A reception hosted by the Inland Northwest Technology Council will follow. "The SIRTI location was chosen as a symbol of collaboration not only between institutions of higher education, but between higher education and business," said Bill Gray, campus executive officer and dean at WSU Spokane. "The Riverpoint campus is the center of future university growth in Spokane, while the I-90 corridor links us to the University of Idaho’s growing presence at Riverbend just across the state line. This consortium is intended to benefit the entire region." The first degree to be offered collaboratively by consortium partners will be the bachelor of science degree in computer engineering. Upper-division courses begin in fall 2000 for students who have completed necessary preparatory course work at other area colleges and universities. All courses will be offered at GU, UI Coeur d’Alene or WSU Spokane. For more information on the event contact 509/358-7527 or communications@wsu.edu, or see the program Web site at www.cptreng.spokane.wsu.edu. Bc117-00
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