Newsroom

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University is expanding its leadership training program with $50,000 provided by Tektronix. The program is part of an effort by the school to lead the nation in innovative engineering education.

"Our goal is to prepare our students to become leaders that will shape our future and make a positive impact on our world," said Terri Fiez, director of the school. "So, this is another step to getting there."

In a pilot program, juniors and seniors were hired to help teach the lab sections of the introductory courses in electrical and computer engineering and computer science and provide mentoring for first-year students during office hours. To prepare them for the classroom, teaching assistants attend a leadership and communication "boot-camp" prior to fall semester.

In addition to giving mentors hands-on leadership experience and providing academic and social support for the freshmen, Fiez said the program is "a phenomenal way to build a community of students that encourage each other."

The additional funding from Tektronix will allow the program to expand the leadership training to include all students in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and provide additional leadership opportunities in community service.

"We hope support for the program will produce larger graduating classes of highly skilled, leadership-ready graduates to become the next generation of engineers at Tektronix," said Brandon Greenley, Tektronix market segment manager and campus manager for Tektronix projects at OSU.