February 17, 2006

NC State's Department of Industrial Engineering Gets New Name

The Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial Engineering at North Carolina State University has been renamed the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, effective February 16, following approval by the Board of Trustees. The new name reflects the changing character of the department, emphasizing the importance of systems engineering in the area of industrial engineering.

Founded in 1930, with classes starting in 1931, the department currently has 21 faculty members, more than 230 undergraduates and more than 90 graduate students. It consistently ranks among the top 12 industrial engineering programs nationally, according to the annual U.S. News and World Report survey.

The department was recently endowed with a $10 million gift from Edward P. Fitts, founder and former chief executive officer of Dopaco, a Pennsylvania-based global packaging company. The commitment is the largest gift ever received by the College of Engineering from an individual donor and the largest endowed gift to academics in NC State's history. The endowment will support professorships and graduate fellowships in the department.

— weston —

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