COE Collaborates with College of Business Administration
to Offer Engineer-Focused Courses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KNOXVILLE, TN —The University of Tennessee Colleges of Engineering (COE) and Business Administration (CBA) are collaborating to provide business education opportunities to engineers.
Leading this effort and guiding the business curriculum is Chuck Parke, a 1985 graduate of UT’s College of Engineering. Chuck’s last management position before joining the CBA faculty was vice president of operations of Whirlpool Corporation.
“My UT engineering degree armed me with the strong, technical foundation to advance my engineering career,” said Parke. “However, as I moved up the organizational ladder, it became apparent that I needed to better understand my organization from a strategic and leadership perspective.”
Parke earned his MBA, through the University of Tennessee Executive MBA program, in 2003.
“Earning my MBA allowed me to understand my organization through the eyes of leadership – both financially and strategically,” said Parke. “After I retired from Whirlpool, I joined the college to develop and teach courses that specifically addressed the needs of engineers and manufacturing leaders.”
For nearly 40 years, UT’s College of Business Administration, through its Center for Executive Education, has offered internationally ranked, non-degree short courses and executive-level MBA programs to enhance the technical expertise of engineers. All courses are taught by faculty recognized worldwide for their expertise.
“We see a lot of engineers in our lean, process improvement, supply chain management, and performance-based logistics (PBL) programs,” said Bric Wheeler, program director. “The percentage is especially high in our custom PBL programs. We are about to do supply chain management programs for the organizations around the Kennedy Space Center – where engineers are everywhere!”
The college’s focus on designing courses specifically for engineers and technical professionals continues to strengthen. “We conducted extensive research with manufacturing site leaders who told us what they needed to better lead their organizations and advance in their careers,” continued Parke.
As a result of this research, four new engineer-focused courses in the areas of business and leadership are being offered.
Leadership Success for Manufacturing Site Leaders: developed to provide manufacturing site leaders with the solid strategic-level leadership skills and broadened functional business skills necessary to successfully lead a manufacturing facility.
Communication Strategies for Technical Professionals: Leveraging Your Technical Expertise: for junior to mid-level engineers, scientists, and other technical professionals who wish to strengthen their communication skills across the organization
Leadership Tools for Manufacturing Management: offering practical solutions to the unique leadership challenges faced by current and “high-potential” manufacturing managers
Managing In a Technical Environment: for engineers, scientists and other technical professionals responsible for managing technical employees.
For engineering graduates who are interested in earning their executive-level MBA to build their overall leadership and strategic skills, the College of Business Administration offers five unique MBA degree options, three of which count numerous engineers among their alumni.
UT’s one-year Aerospace & Defense MBA program provides a business education to aerospace and defense professionals focused on the unique challenges and aspects of that industry. Approximately 50 percent of its graduates hold technical undergraduate or graduate degrees.
Jeff Babione, chief engineer for Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor program, holds a BS in engineering from Virginia Tech and an MS in engineering from Washington University. He completed the UT Aerospace & Defense MBA program in 2008.
“Although I was already an experienced engineer in a successful career, I knew that I needed an MBA education,” said Babione. “I needed to understand how engineering decisions impacted the company’s profitability and sustainability. Engineers typically don’t get a lot of exposure to the business side of things, but it was clear to me that in order to advance, in order to make better decisions, I needed to understand that side of the business.”
The one-year Executive MBA program and 16-month, weekend-format, Professional MBA program both count a significant number of engineers as alumni. Approximately 20 percent of their graduates are engineers who understand the importance of building their business skills. A 16-month Global Supply Chain Executive MBA is being offered beginning first quarter, 2012.
UT’s Professional MBA program offered Bill Fulghum, a UT graduate with a master's degree in civil engineering, an opportunity to gain a new perspective on managing his engineering firm.
Fulghum was able to study companies such as Toyota while learning from fellow students. "The sharing of knowledge was invaluable to me," Fulghum said.
For additional information on any of these programs, please visit http://TheCenter.utk.edu or contact Rhonda Barton at either 865-974-1626 or rbarton@utk.edu.
CONTACT: Cindy Raines
PHONE: (865) 974-4359
FAX: (865) 974-1766
E-MAIL: craines1@utk.edu
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About The University of Tennessee College of Business Administration
The mission of the University of Tennessee College of Business Administration in Knoxville, Tennessee, is to provide innovative leadership in management research education and practice. The College consistently breaks new ground with both its scholarship and award-winning, integrated curriculum that is taught within its nationally recognized undergraduate, graduate and executive education programs. The College is fully accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. For more information about the University of Tennessee College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.