NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET) is excited to announce the beginning of a formal partnership with Collins Aerospace’s Electric Power Systems division in Rockford. The new initiative, supported by a $50,000 donation from Collins, will help grow the college’s programming focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“At NIU, we are committed to creating a culture of discovery and innovation,” said Donald Peterson, Ph.D. dean of CEET. “Creating a welcoming environment for all of our students is essential to fulfilling the college’s mission. We’re delighted that Collins Aerospace is partnering with us to further our diversity, equity and inclusion programming and provide new opportunities to our students.”
The new initiative will increase the level of engagement between the company and students by
expanding the resources and career networking opportunities between Collins and NIU. The agreement will provide funding for NIU’s chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the Society for Women Engineers.
“As an NIU graduate, I am proud to be a part of the Collins Aerospace – NIU partnership,” said Christian Griffiths, ’94 executive director of engineering – electric power systems for Collins Aerospace. “This will provide strategic benefits to both organizations moving forward.”
CEET saw an increase in the percentage of Hispanic students from 17% in 2019 to 21% in 2020. At the same time, the number of Asian students rose from 5% to 7% and the number of female engineering students increased from 14% to 16.9% in that time as well.
According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) diversity in engineering and STEM fields, in general, provides organizations several benefits including greater innovation, a broader talent pool, increased customer satisfaction, and it is simply more ethical. Furthermore, ASME holds that companies that invest in diversity initiatives benefit from increased profitability and better long-term performance.
In addition to the diversity at the college, Collins has a history of recruiting students from NIU because its engineering program emphasizes hands-on learning and the college’s home campus in DeKalb is in close proximity to Collins Electric Power Systems in Rockford.
“The best compliment I can give the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at NIU is that the education I received there prepared me for what engineers do in the real world and instilled in me the concept of being a lifetime learner,” said Adrian Vandergrift, ’99 associate director of electrical engineering for Collins Aerospace. “The learning does not end when you graduate. It’s just beginning. NIU does a terrific job of balancing the theoretical and practical aspects of engineering. Both are important, and if the balance is off, a graduate’s ability to function as a practicing engineer will be compromised.”
About CEET
Ranked in the top undergraduate engineering programs by U.S. World and News Report, the college is housed in three facilities totaling nearly 150,000 square feet including 35 state-of-the-art laboratories that offer hands-on learning experiences to students from freshmen year through graduate school. CEET was established in 1985 and offers bachelor’s degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) in electrical engineering, engineering technology, industrial and systems engineering, and mechanical engineering. In addition, the college offers bachelor’s degrees in biomedical engineering and mechatronics engineering, plus master’s degrees and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering, engineering technology, industrial and systems engineering, and mechanical engineering.
For more information about CEET and its degree programs, visit niu.edu/ceet.
