“Rowan College at Burlington County’s Science, Math and Technology, or SMT, division will now be STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics,” announced Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. David Spang at the end of the college’s Engineers Week celebration.
“The new division name better conveys the breadth of our offerings,” Dr. Spang said. “In fact, we are one of only about 100 community colleges in the nation to earn approval from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.”
“The STEM name also more closely aligns RCBC with four-year institutions, namely our premier partner Rowan University and its high-quality engineering programs,” Spang added.
Through the college’s historic Rowan University partnership, the university’s engineering program, will soon be a part of the RCBC Mount Laurel campus.
The first Rowan University engineering classes are scheduled to begin in Mount Laurel in the fall of 2017 as part of the bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering and a certificate program in manufacturing.
Rowan University’s Mechanical Engineering program was ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. News & World’s 2015 report for ABET-accredited programs whose highest engineering degree offered is a bachelor’s or master’s.
“Rowan College at Burlington County is transforming into a modern model of higher education and Rowan’s engineering programs are an important piece of our future, because they give students a chance to earn an in-demand degree from a renowned institution at an affordable price,” said RCBC President Paul Drayton.
“Our newly renamed STEM division gives students an opportunity to earn a degree that will provide them access to high-paying careers in an ever-evolving, innovative and tech-savvy society,” Drayton said.
RCBC recognized Engineers Week, which is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing interest in engineering and technology careers, with STEM demonstrations and experiments and guest speaker Thomas Plummer, a Lockheed Martin Fellow.
Plummer, who is responsible for all cybersecurity and tactical programs within Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Training, spoke about how engineering is important to cybersecurity.
After the discussion, Dr. Spang discussed the STEM disciplines at RCBC and the opportunity that is afforded to students who choose to major in STEM.