This project is a major institutional reform by which students at the University of Arizona will be able to combine a liberal arts education with the problem-solving skills emphasized in engineering programs. The new program in Engineering with Liberal and Technical Education (ELiTE) will lead to a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering. The program should be especially attractive to students with ability and interest in mathematics and science who seek a truly well rounded education, as well as those who find traditional engineering programs too narrowly technical. The project will include an innovative seminar series that provides an in-depth examination of the social context within which engineering is carried out. The project also plans to educate leaders with a broad vision of society, integrated with the skills of an engineer. On an experimental level, the project will attempt to demonstrate that it is possible to increase student demand for engineering, recruit and retain a greater percentage of women and minorities, and attain a higher graduation rate by increasing the degree of flexibility in engineering education.
