November 9, 2006

Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Celebrates 75^th Anniversary

  — Events reflect history and explore future of industrial and systems engineering

The Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering celebrated its 75^th Anniversary November 2-3 with a series of events. The celebration began with a symposium, “Leading-Edge Systems Engineering in Medical and Bioscience Industries,” held at the Hamner Conference Center at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC) in the Research Triangle Park.

The symposium brought together leaders in the academic and industrial communities to discuss the changing role of industrial and systems engineers in leading-edge medical and bioscience industries. Dr. Leslie Alexandre, CEO of NCBC, was the keynote speaker for the event.

Experts in the subfields of medical device manufacturing, pharmaceutical and bioprocessing manufacturing and health systems participated in panel discussions that offer insight into the nature of industrial and systems engineering in these fields and how the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering is restructuring curriculum to meet the changing needs of industry leaders.

Engineers, operations managers and experts from around the country participated in an open dialogue on how to develop a new breed of engineers the industry needs to compete in the global marketplace. With an estimated 145 companies in the Research Triangle Park employing nearly 40,000 workers in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and information systems, the department of industrial and systems engineering is uniquely positioned to be a leading producer of a highly educated workforce in these industries.

Events on November 3 included a celebration event with an overview of the history of industrial engineering and the department narrated by former department heads and faculty members. Approximately 100 alumni and friends attended the celebration and luncheon at the McKimmon Center.

The department honored its first class of distinguished alumni. The 12 inductees are M. Tayfur Altiok (MSIE ’80, PhD ’82), Worley “H” Clark Jr. (BSIE ’56), Hugh M. Duncan (BSIE ’55), Edward P. Fitts (BSIE ’61), A. Fred Gant (BSIE ’55), James A. Hackney III (BSIE ’62), Ross W. Lampe Jr. (BSIE ’77), Leon F. McGinnis (MSIE ’73, PhD ’75), Richard E. Nance (BSIE ’62, MS ’66), John B. Vaughan (BSFMM ’52), Edward I. Weisiger Jr. (BSIE ’82), Edgar S. Woolard Jr. (BSIE ’56).

Founded in 1930, with classes starting in 1931, the department currently has 23 faculty members, more than 200 undergraduates and more than 100 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 supports efforts to design curricula for emerging fields, to attract and retain excellent faculty members and to expand research opportunities for graduate and Ph.D. students.

— weston —

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