JACKSON Miss.
Michael Gates and other Jackson State University engineering graduates are closer to becoming professional engineers now that JSU's engineering programs have been accredited.
"(The students) can now say they graduated from an accredited engineering program, which translates into better job offers money-wise. It translates into being able to be hired by (the Mississippi Department of Transportation), (the Department of Environmental Quality) and the federal government without any restrictions," said Robert Whalin, the associate dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. Whalin supervises the school's engineering programs.
The School of Engineering and its $20 million building are seen as the crown jewel for JSU from the settlement of the long-running Ayers higher education desegregation lawsuit.
A settlement reached in 2002 ended the 27-year-old lawsuit filed by the late Jake Ayers Sr. of Glen Allan, alleging the historically black universities in Mississippi were not funded or treated the same as the five majority white schools. An accredited School of Engineering gave JSU a professional school, a necessary step toward recognition as a comprehensive university.
Earning a professional engineer license requires students to graduate from an accredited institution and pass two engineering exams. Gates took the first, a state test, in April. His passing status, however, was dependent upon JSU's program earning accreditation.
"I think it's a great opportunity to show that we have adequate studies at Jackson State and we are receiving a top-notch education in comparison to the rest of the state and the rest of the country," Gates said.
The school's engineering programs have been accredited by ABET, formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The accreditation is retroactive to October 2004. The school's first engineers graduated in May 2005.
ABET is the same group that gives its stamp of approval to engineering programs at Mississippi State, the University of Mississippi and about 550 other colleges in the nation.
