January 12, 2007
College of Engineering -Leadership program accepting applications
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale's College of Engineering is accepting scholarship applications from community college students for its engineering leadership program.
The program — open to community college transfer students beginning with the fall 2007 semester — includes a $14,000 scholarship toward tuition and fees and two three-month paid internships.
A $250,000 gift in October from Peoria-based Advanced Technology Services, Inc., and ATS founder, chairman and CEO Richard W. Blaudow and his wife, Brigitte, is financing the Blaudow—ATS Program for Technical Leadership in Manufacturing. Blaudow earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering technology from SIUC in 1970.
The donation provides scholarship support and on-the-job technical internships for community college graduates enrolled in the college.
Bruce DeRuntz, an associate professor in the college's Department of Technology, will begin meeting with administrators and faculty, and recruiting students, in about 20 of the state's 51 community colleges next week. Included with his presentations is a four-minute DVD produced by ATS' marketing department that profiles SIUC, the College of Engineering, the scholarship, ATS, and career opportunities with the company.
DeRuntz's goal is to find "outstanding candidates" who meet selection criteria. Students selected for the program will also go through a leadership training course "where they will be learning to develop their leadership skills in addition to their normal academic work."
Selection criteria include more than an applicant's grade point average, DeRuntz said.
"We are looking closer at a person's interpersonal skills and personal drive. That is something that is rarely found in scholarships," he said. "This scholarship is for people who have a strong work ethic and leadership abilities."
The scholarship is open to community college students who transfer into any of the degreed majors the College of Engineering offers, DeRuntz said.
The application deadline is Thursday, Feb. 15. Applications must also include a resume and cover letter.
For more information, contact DeRuntz at bruce@siu.edu. More information about the scholarship is available athttp://www.engr.siu.edu/scholarships/transfer.html under the section for the Blaudow/ATS Technical Leadership Program in Manufacturing.