LEC News

Lawrence Tech and Lear to launch entrepreneurial engineering program

Southfield, Michigan -- Make way for the renaissance engineer – a hybrid engineer and entrepreneur. Lawrence Technological University’s new Lear Product Realization Center and Entrepreneurial Skills Program aims to graduate this new breed of engineer, and will be a model program for encouraging entrepreneurship and product improvement.

Some $750,000 will initially be invested by Lawrence Tech, Lear, and other private sources to launch the program, University officials said.

"Engineers of the future will need to have all the technical knowledge of today’s engineers, plus business savvy. They’ll need to understand the entire product process – from development to manufacturing to sales," said Laird Johnston, dean of Lawrence Tech’s College of Engineering. "This program will give our students a chance to apply the engineering and business skills gained through their senior projects to real-world challenges."

The senior project is at the heart of Lawrence Tech’s academic experience and part of the reason its graduates have a reputation for being able to "hit the ground running" within industry. Better known senior projects include the University’s Formula SAE racer, mini-Baja all-terrain vehicle, human-powered submarine, and FutureCar hybrid electric vehicle teams.

"Lawrence Tech is the type of university skilled at solving problems facing our industry and others," said Doug DelGrosso, senior vice president, product focus group, at Lear. "To succeed within an increasingly competitive marketplace, business leaders need a full complement of engineering and management savvy. Enhancing student skills in these areas has great benefit for companies like ours."

The Lear Product Realization Center and Entrepreneurial Skills Program will be comprehensive. Expanded laboratory facilities will give Lawrence Tech students access to the latest equipment and technology, including more computer and Internet research experiences. The academic program will be enhanced to include business modules about e-commerce, purchasing, intellectual property, marketing and sales. Students will also practice communicating complex technical information to non-technical team members – a skill that will increase their value as engineers.

"Characteristics that distinguish successful entrepreneurship include a creative mind, self-confidence, strong initiative and a desire to achieve, a willingness to take risks, and strategic thinking," Johnston said. "Through comprehensive changes in our curriculum, we will place new emphasis on helping students realize their capabilities in these important areas."
Building entrepreneurial skills in engineering graduates is the very latest in engineering education and the Lear Program will utilize the expertise of Lawrence Tech’s engineering faculty as well as College of Management faculty and special guest lecturers. Dean Johnston also envisions using distance learning technology to expose students to experts around the country.

Johnston noted that Lawrence Tech joins a dozen or so universities nationwide that are developing programs linking engineering and entrepreneurship. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana has created a business and education incubator, and Babson College in Massachusetts is highly ranked in promoting entrepreneurship.

Lawrence Technological University offers nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. Lawrence Tech pioneered the offering of day and evening classes 70 years ago, and now has a growing number of weekend programs. It is also home to the Advanced Technology Academy, a charter school offering a challenging curriculum closely linked to the university’s academic mission.

Lear Corporation, a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Southfield, focuses on automotive interiors and electronics and is the world’s fifth-largest automotive supplier. Sales in 2000 were $14.1 billion. The company’s world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by approximately 120,000 employees in more than 300 facilities located in 33 countries. Information about Lear and its products is available on the Web at www.lear.com/.