Nano College

[Michigan_Dane]

I reached out to the Times Union and asked them why they aren't asking hard questions like what does this mean to UA.

 

The Times Union said they let their Higher Ed reporter go. No one is covering this story according to the Times Union.

[Clickclack]

Wasn't sure where to put this but.... I heard in class from my professor that apparently UA is spinning up a number of engineering degrees and a school of engineering. Has anyone else heard this?

Edited March 28, 2014 by Clickclack

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

Could that be the payback? If so that's fantastic

[Clickclack]

Could that be the payback? If so that's fantastic

 

Mind you, this was one professor saying it I haven't seen anything official. The context in which he said it was that the school is hiring 10 new IT/Engineering related faculty before the start of the next academic year and he was on the hiring committee trying to get students to sign up for a 30 minute to sit-down with potential professors and provide feedback to hiring committee.

[Jammaster]

10 new faculty is a lot. It's not enough for a whole new school, but engineering would be huge at Albany. It drives up your recent grad start salary numbers and can bring lots of entrepreneurship to the state capital. Sound like a win if there's something to this.

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

With the general sorry state of science education in this country, any attempt to expand it at the State University level is a major leap forward.

[UAFAN]

UAlbany aims to fill engineering void after split from nanocollege

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/print-edition/2014/03/28/ualbany-aims-to-fill-engineering-void-after-split.html

[danefan]

We need a professional graduate school(s).

 

Anyone know where to find one?

[Eli]

With the general sorry state of science education in this country, any attempt to expand it at the State University level is a major leap forward.

 

Science education? This country is behind in virtually every major area of education. Our kids are graduating high school behind their peers around the world (of modernized countries). I know people who moved here from other countries in 9th and 10th grade and learned what our 9th graders are learning, but a year or two prior.

 

The entire education system needs to be re-done.

 

As a current UAlbany student, I feel that we need to get people a specialization and not a 'well rounded education'. Kids are leaving school with less skills in general. They aren't good at any one thing (I have interviewed new graduates for positions). The amount of BS classes (and BS assignments that go with those classes - I need to write a paper on Roman Sculptures by monday - for example) we have to take is absurd. I already took two years of english, math, etc. at Hudson Valley and got my 'well rounded education'...why the HELL do I need to take a minor at UAlbany (in this case History). Bachelors degrees should be focused on specialization and real-world training for jobs you'll do after you graduate. What is Roman Sculptures going to do for me in life? Undergraduate (and even graduate education) has become a business in this country. Forcing a student to take a minor just means an extra 18 credits (or roughly $7,000) in the university's pocket. I have been working in IT for 10 years. I am only 26. You match me up against any new graduated in a job interview and I will walk circles around his book knowledge. Specialization and real world experience will ALWAYS trump book knowledge and limited lab work. In my opinion. Obviously some curriculums (like medicine) are a little different, but for the most part you can apply my comment to most areas of expertise.

 

I have my specialization. THAT is what I am good at. EVERY class I take at UAlbany should be IT related...not calculus, not roman sculptures, etc.

 

/rant...as you can tell, I hate the current education system and most people disagree with my opinion on the subject but it is what it is. Sorry for going slightly OT. Your comment just triggered a post on the subject lol.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Ilko

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

For starters, if everything was SO specialized, we'd all be really $ienaty at cocktail parties

[Oldtimer]

llko---you didn't need to select history. Physics might have been more useful. Kidding---I agree a minor is a little outdated in todays world. However, I do think a major, whatever it may be, is enhanced by a strong liberal arts background. Communications are very important in every job and liberal arts helps develop those communication skills. At 26 you should already have a BS - MS and 5 years of work experience.

[Eli]

For starters, if everything was SO specialized, we'd all be really $ienaty at cocktail parties

 

Hahah. You know what I meant .

 

llko---you didn't need to select history. Physics might have been more useful. Kidding---I agree a minor is a little outdated in todays world. However, I do think a major, whatever it may be, is enhanced by a strong liberal arts background. Communications are very important in every job and liberal arts helps develop those communication skills. At 26 you should already have a BS - MS and 5 years of work experience.

 

lol. What goes up, must come down. Physics minor, complete lol.

 

I got my AS and have been working professionally in my field since I was 16 (yes, got a HUGE jump start). Been chippin away at my BS doing night school and working 50hrs a week (for those of you in IT, you'll understand). But you get my general point. I'm sure some minors are useful (none interest me although I did like Civil War history, etc. which is why I chose history). In the end though, I feel that most people don't get THAT much of a benefit from doing a minor. As someone who has been on the hiring end of the interview table, I'd rather someone be specialized in one or two key areas that I am looking to hire in than dealing with someone fresh out of school with only 1% knowledge in 50 different areas (obviously exaggerating for emphasis).

 

Communication is key though for sure. Nothing annoys me more at work than people who don't know how to communicate professionally, etc.

 

------------

 

Anyway, sorry for taking the thread off topic. My point was that our university, and the nation needs to do A LOT of work to make education good in this country again. It's lacking compared to other parts of the modern world. This is a start, but it's a drop in the proverbial bucket.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Ilko

[Michigan_Dane]

I heard the engineering degree story a while back. Of course it's nice BUT there is a big difference between adding a new school or college and just allowing for a few degrees.

 

We need new professional schools not just a major.

 

Current gaps: No law, medicine, pharmacy, veterinary, architecture, engineering...

 

I hope there is more to come.

[UAalum72]

UAlbany adds new program option - Pres. Jones talks about the engineering program addition in a talk with the T-U editorial board

[UAalum72]

What, me worry? - Pres. Jones in the T-U

 

 

Robert Jones, president of the University at Albany, says he isn't at all worried about the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering being spun off from UAlbany.

 

Jones, who has been fully supportive of the move, was asked during a recent visit before the Times Union editorial board if the departure of the NanoCollege would hurt UAlbany's fundraising and its ability to win federal grants.

 

"I don't spend any time worrying about that," Jones said.

 

Much of the NanoCollege's support over the years has come from the state Legislature, he said. However, most universities subsist on federal grants, especially those from the National Institutes of Health, which is why Jones is placing such a big emphasis on medical sciences, including the Cancer Center and the RNA Institute.

 

"This will be a place where there will be some significant breakthroughs," Jones said.

Edited April 20, 2014 by UAalum72