ETM: The First 15 Years (1986-2001)
Newsletter - December 30, 1985
First Personnel:
- Dr. Frederick M. Zimmerman � Director
- Mr. Steven Helmueller � Student Services Coordinator
- Managing the Manufacturing System � Robert Brattland
- Manufacturing System Design � Dennis Wilson
- Measurement and Accounting for Manufacturing � George Gleeson
- Improving Productivity in Manufacturing � Satu Suominen-Troyer
- Manufacturing for Quality and Reliability � Albert Starshak
Registration of the degree did not happen until the April 1986 Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board (MHECB). Even though students started taking classes in February of 1986.
Newsletter - February 27, 1986
First term enrollment exceeds expectations. The number of students was expected to be about 47 and the actual enrollment was 70 students.
A substantial gift of equipment and cash was received from Honeywell. A small portion was earmarked for the new Manufacturing Systems Engineering program.
Other contributions were recognized: Advisory Board volunteered time and energy, companies volunteers to make equipment and facilities available to students and several schools were of considerable help in the initial set up of the program.
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) bulletin was available at the MMSE office and two test dates were listed in the newsletter to help students complete the test.
Newsletter - April 11, 1986
2 classes were set for summer term:
- MMSE 500 Managing the Manufacturing System � Bob Brattland
- Management and Control of Raw Materials and Parts � Swaraj Dhawan
Manufacturing for Excellence Conference held on July 21-22 at Radisson South Hotel. The focus was on CAD/CAM Integration. Elwood Buffa of UCLA talked on "CAD/CAM as a Key Ingredient in Manufacturing Strategy". Students were instructed to ask about a student discount.
MAP/TOP of SME became a crucial technical group of SME in 1985. Manufacturing Automation Protocol and Technical and Office Protocol were a focus within SME.
Mid Term evaluations were completed and were generally favorable. They have good suggestions for changes to help the program.
Newsletter - July 7, 1986
ADC Telecommunications pledged $100,000 for the purchase of library materials and equipment. Chuck Denny delivered the final address for two of our "Managing the Manufacturing System" classes this spring.
June 23, 1986 the 100th application for the program was received from on individual from FMC (now United Defense).
Eight courses will be taught for Fall semester 1987. Faculty include: Robert Brattland, Dennis Wilson, George Gleeson, William Iacoe, George Richter, Satu Suominen-Troyer and Albert Starshak.
John Povolny, retired Vice President of the 3M Magnetic Products Division and later Vice President of Industry Relations, has volunteered to help with the MMSE program. Povolny graduated from the College of St. Thomas with a degree in Chemistry in 1947.
Spring courses were well regarded. The College of St. Thomas conducts at least two student evaluations of each course section every term. This is a consistent process involving the same questions so that we can make comparisons across programs and between instructors. In comparison with the MBA program, the new MMSE program faired very well. The scale is 0 to 5 with 5 being the highest rating.
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Newsletter - November 13, 1986
CAD/CAM and HDMS systems were made available for student use. It included 5 full color high-resolution engineering workstations and appropriate software. They were located in 201 Magnus Hall.
3M donated $500,000.00 toward an endowed chair in Manufacturing Systems Engineering. At the time the individual was expected to start in the Fall of 1987.
Robert Johnson from Honeywell was a guest speaker at the CAD/CAM class. He was past National President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
A new course was approved: Directed Studies in Manufacturing Systems Engineering.
11 courses were offered Spring semester 1987. Instructors included: Robert Brattland, Dennis Wilson, George Gleeson, C. Olson, William Iacoe, John Walker, John Knauff, Swaraj Dhawan, Satu Suominen-Troyer, Robert Kroll, Fred Zimmerman, and Ronald Bennett.
The first course was offered at the Chaska facility. MMSE 501 Manufacturing Systems Design.
The MMSE Advisory Board met. This board was established to help define the subject matter to be included in the MMSE program.
An Academic Council was established to provide additional guidance to the graduate programs in manufacturing systems so they unfold in a manner which is consistent with the overall goals and objectives of the College of St. Thomas and in a manner which complements our other graduate programs.
Newsletter - March 26, 1987
Four courses were offered during the Summer semester 1987:
Fred Zimmerman was accepting applications for full-time tenure track faculty position.
Plant tours were numerous during Spring term. Plants visited were: Physical Electronics, Onan, Numerex, Honeywell, Productivity, Allen Bradley, and Lakeland Tool and Engineering.
Companies were interested to providing education for plants located in areas outside the usual commuting range to the main campus in St. Paul. John Povolny visited with representatives from companies that were interested in discussing this outreach program.
Spring semester there were 123 student enrolled in classes. The mean age was 32, Age range 22-51 and men numbered 102 (83%) and women numbered 21 (17%). Forty-three companies were represented by this group with Control Data/MMPI being the largest employer with 18 students and 3M came in second with 17 students. The majority of students were employed as Mfg/Production Engineers.
O'Shaughnessy Library had computer access to over 150 databases, the ability to locate books in 160 libraries and the ability to check out books from any engineering library in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota or South Dakota.
St. Thomas Computing Center offered 2-hour short courses on basic and advanced dBase III, Word Perfect and Lotus 1-2-3 at no charge to the student.
Newsletter - August 5, 1987
Sixteen courses were offered for Fall 1987.
William Iacoe developed a new course MMSE 510 Excellence in Manufacturing as an advanced operations management course.
Matthew Yen, full-time faculty, coordinating the purchase of engineering books and materials for the library.
New faculty members were introduced via the newsletter. They included: Douglas Hoelscher and Stanley Johnson.
An MBA computer skills course was highlighted in the newsletter. Software covered included DOS, dBase III plus, Lotus 1-2-3, Bank Street Writer and Word Perfect and CST (College of St. Thomas) Vax computer system.
Newsletter - November 24, 1987
Spring term 1988 included 16 courses, 13 in St. Paul, 1 in Chaska and 2 in Hutchinson.
Fall 1987 enrollment tops 170 students. Top enrollment was seen in five classes: MMSE 500, MMSE 501, MMSE 510, MMSE 600 and MMSE 601.
Robert Watters, retired from 3M Company, joined the adjunct faculty in the MMSE program. He will work on MMSE 898 Directed Studies in Manufacturing Engineering.
Micro manufacturing Technology course was offered for the first time in Spring semester 1988. Dr. Lawrence Casper of Honeywell taught the course.
Dr. James Benson, Dean of the School of Industry and Technology at the University of Wisconsin � Stout talked on �Doing Business in the Age of Light�.
Newsletter - January 12, 1988
MMSE classes were made available to MBA alumni. Registration was done by the MMSE program.
Dr. Glen Thommes recently retired as Director of Research at E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Company became part of the adjunct faculty. He was charged with conducting a series of special topic seminars in polymers, photochemistry in solid-state electronics and in chemistry related to the graphic arts industry.
Newsletter - April 25, 1988
Summer semester offered five courses, four were held in St. Paul and one in Owatonna.
Spring enrollment tops 190 students with the largest number of students coming from Honeywell, 3M, Control Data, Unisys and Hutchinson Technology.
A food industry concentration meeting was set to assess industry needs and to determine if the MMSE department could provide classes in those areas.
Three people graduated from the MMSE program. They were: Kathleen M. Radke, Bryan M. Smith and Richard D. Tyner.
John Povolny received the CST+ Service Award for meritorious service to the College of St. Thomas. He was also asked to deliver the keynote address at the International Tape and Disk Association. His topic was �The New Role of Manufacturing and the Management of Technology�.
The College of St. Thomas was ranked seventh by U.S. News & World Report among comprehensive institutions in the West and Midwest.
An annual survey of the MMSE program students with the overall rating of the program of Excellent � 38.2%, Good � 55.2%, Fair � 5.3%, Below Average � 1.3%
Newsletter - July 20, 1988
During Fall semester 1988, there were 19 courses offered with 14 courses held in St. Paul, two at the Honeywell facility on Boone Avenue in Golden Valley, two in Hutchinson and one in Chaska.
The College of St. Thomas was awarded a curriculum development grant from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers for special software for solid modeling.
Beginning fall 1988, the MMSE department began publishing the �Journal of Applied Manufacturing Systems�. The Journal of Applied Manufacturing Systems will contain articles submitted by nationally recognized authors and individuals in manufacturing and economic development in Minnesota.
Dr. Stanley Johnson and Dr. R. Stanford Nyquist participated in a Faculty Enhancement Program sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Newsletter - August 10, 1988
Lew Veraldi, to Ford Executive to speak to MMSE participants. Veraldi's leadership role in organizing �TEAM TAURUS�, resulting in the company, the hourly workforce and supplier base working together, at the outset of the program, simultaneously rather than sequentially.
Parking Fees arrived at St. Thomas. The first parking permit cost $15.00 for the year. Parking permits were available from the department.
19 courses were offered for Fall semester 1988. 14 were held in St. Paul, 2 at Honeywell in Golden Valley, two in Hutchinson and one in Chaska
Students were reminded to complete the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) requirement in a timely basis.
Newsletter - December 15, 1988
Twenty-one courses were offered for Spring 1989. 18 classes were offered in St. Paul, two were offered in Hutchinson and one in Chaska. New courses offered for the first time were: MMSE 796 Design of Experiments, MMSE 688 Advanced Design of Assembly Systems and MMSE 790 Packaging Engineering.
The first issue of the Journal of Applied Manufacturing Systems was announced and available.
William F. Iacoe was selected for a National Society of Manufacturing Systems award. He received the prestigious Albert M. Sargent Progress Award.
Newsletter - March 15, 1989
John Manoogian of Ford, General Manager of Alpha Projects, talked on strategy and plans to incorporate advanced engineering design concepts into production, selection and building a team to implement the plan, and related non-proprietary information about Ford's project Alpha.
Robert Johnson began teaching MMSE 631 Automation Systems in the U.S. and Overseas.
Newsletter - April 15, 1989
Summer semester 1989 three classes were offered.
Dr. Armand Fiegenbaum, president of General Systems co, Inc. and author of TOTAL QUALITY CONTROL spoke on quality leadership.
Newsletter - July 25, 1989
21 courses were offered. Fifteen in St. Paul, 1 in Owatonna, 2 in Chaska, 2 in Hutchinson and 1 at Honeywell in Golden Valley.
Three new courses were offered: MMSE 793 Polymer Application in Manufacturing, MMSE 798 Safety, Health and Environmental Considerations in Manufacturing and MMSE 795 Expert Systems and Factory Networks.
Construction of the Manufacturing Research Laboratory was underway in Loras Hall lower level.
Newsletter - August 24, 1989
The MMSE department moved to Loras Hall on the south side of Summit Avenue from 2057 Portland Avenue. This move allowed the establishment of a research laboratory in the lower level and larger spaces for the offices.
17 courses were offer for Spring semester 1990.
Newsletter - December 3, 1989
19 courses were offered (adjusted up from previous newsletter) for Spring semester 1990.
Newsletter - March 20, 1990
Summer semester there were three courses offered.
Douglas Frazier, past president of the United Auto Workers, spoke on Labor/Management Cooperation.
Fall semester the State of Minnesota begins requiring Proof of Immunization from all students born after December 31, 1956.
Eric Kallas became the department's liaison for the O'Shaughnessy Library.
Newsletter - August 20, 1990
18 courses were offered for Fall semester 1990
Management Center offers the Mini-MMSE program for the first time.
Newsletter - December 1990
20 courses were offered for Spring 1991
Dennis Ferguson was teaching a new course, MMSE 641 � Computer-Aided Tooling and Net Shape Manufacturing.
Richard Tyner, MMSE graduate, was awarded for prize for his paper �Employing Machine Vision to Reduce Machine Tool Setup Time� at the Robotics International of SME.
Michael Peterson, MMSE graduate, presented a paper at the Surface Mount '90 conference. The paper, �Quality Improvement in solder paste application and reflow for Surface Mount Technology�, was chosen one of the five best conference submissions and was published in a special edition of Surface Mount Technology magazine.
Newsletter - February 25, 1991
Summer session 1991 four courses were offered.
The Counseling and Career Services office offered assistance to anyone making a job transition through their Career Information Network, Career Information Resources and counselors.
The Manufacturing Resource Laboratory was evolving and expanding. The controls lab would open soon and several industry collaborations were in discussion.
St. Thomas Technology Press published Packaging and Environmental Issues. Edward Rzepecki edited it.
Newsletter - Fall 1991
18 courses were offered with one is Owatonna and one in Chaska.
The Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems became available in September. The program at that time was focused primarily on those individuals already employed in manufacturing organizations who want to upgrade their professional skills and competence. Admission requirements were similar to the MMSE except an engineering degree was not required.
Robert M. Johnson was elected to the College of Fellows of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
George Gleeson's dog, Cashflow, passed away.
Newsletter - December 8, 1991
The MMSE degree program received ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) for the first time.
Two new classes, Food Processing and Automation Systems and Manufacturing in the Process Industry, were taught for the first time.
Congress approved a $500,000 appropriation for a new Regional Center for Software, Engineering, Manufacturing and Management Technology Planned. This building became know as the Science and Engineering Center where the program now resides.
The Manufacturing programs receive an SME Education Foundation grant for software related to an inventory management system aimed at streamlining the material planning and manufacturing processes and a large library grant.
Fred Zimmerman published The Turnaround Experience through McGraw Hill.
22 courses were offered for Spring 1992, 18 in St. Paul with one in Minneapolis, one in Chaska one in Owatonna, and one in Hutchinson.
Newsletter - Summer 1992
Beginning Fall 1992, the MSMS program offered a concentration in Quality.
The James A. Thwaits Chair in Technology was held jointly by Edward L. Rzepecki and Kenneth J. Valentas
St. Thomas Technology Press published a book by Murray J. Harpol, Living the American Dream � Pentair Inc: The First 25 Years.
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) awarded the Manufacturing and Engineering labs a grant of $34,000. It supported the purchase of the Haas Machining Center and the purchase of software for CAD.
The Minneapolis campus became the home of the Graduate School of Business.
Industry partnerships linking our academic and research programs with local industries were solicited.
19 courses were offered, one in Hutchinson, one in Owatonna, two in Minneapolis, and one in Chaska.
Newsletter - Winter 1992
Dave Beal of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke on business and manufacturing conditions in Minnesota the Industry Appreciation Breakfast.
The University of St. Thomas issued a policy on Industry-related research.
Two courses were added to the curriculum, HRDO 640 Human Factors in TQM and MSQS 610 Excellence in Product Design were offered for the first time in Spring 1993.
Work on the computer lab in lower level of the Binz Refectory began.
The department offered a course in St. Cloud for the first time.
19 courses were offered for Spring 1993 with one in Hutchinson, one in Minneapolis, one in Chaska, one in Owatonna and one in St. Cloud.
Newsletter - Spring 1993
The main focus of this newsletter was on women in manufacturing.
Spring 1993 a class was offered at local company, FMC.
Robert Monson was awarded a patent for a design resulting from his thesis project, �Apparatus and Method for Measuring and Maintaining the Profile of a Railroad Track Rail�.
Milestones: Fred Zimmerman, who began as an adjunct faculty member in the graduate school of business celebrated 10 years with St. Thomas.
Marilyn Magee, managing editor of St. Thomas Technology Press, celebrated five years with St. Thomas.
The first thesis seminar was offered to MMSE students on how to write their theses.
Summer semester 1993 offered three classes to students.
Newsletter - Summer 1993
Global Learning � Cooperation and Competitiveness were focused upon.
Xiaoping Liu returned from China where he strengthened the ties with academic institutions in China such as Jilin University and helped host Chinese educators on their visit to this University.
Ed Rzepecki traveled to Dusseldorf, Germany to attend INTERPAK packaging exhibition and participate in a panel discussion on environmental packaging.
Fred Zimmerman traveled to the Czech Republic and Slovakia to teach, visit plants and meet with leaders of the Czech Technical University.
John Povolny visited his daughter in Tokyo, Japan and talked about his experiences while with 3M and as the associate director of the graduate programs in manufacturing systems and engineering.
Fred Zimmerman taught a class in business strategy and policy at the Catholic University of Uruguay in Montevideo.
Classes were held for the first time in Anoka at the Greenhaven Conference Center.
John Walker and Ron Bennett were named to jointly hold the James A. Thwaits/3M Chair in Technology. They joined Edward Rzepecki in holding that position.
Carmen Peota, the department's administrative coordinator since 1992 became the new managing editor of the St. Thomas Technology Press.
Marilyn Magee stepped down as managing editor of St. Thomas Technology Press.
Judy Miller became the new administrative coordinator for the department.
SME awarded the program a grant of $145,250 for software and library materials.
The department sought reaccreditation of the MMSE degree through Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The department was visited in October 1993.
21 courses were offered for Fall 1993 with one in Hutchinson, one in Chaska, one in Minneapolis and one in Owatonna.
Newsletter - Winter 1993
Several students and alumni were profiled in �New Faces of Manufacturing� about how their positions have changed over the past few years to focus more closely at the customer and the effects of reorganization and downsizing.
Chuck Maitland from Ford Motor Company talked on the Resurgence of U.S. Manufacturing for Manufacturers Week.
Orthopaedic Innovations Inc. (OII) who partnered with St. Thomas Engineering programs presented their first product line to the Asian Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting in the Philippines.
The University of St. Thomas Board of Trustees approved the start-up of an undergraduate engineering program.
23 courses were offered for Spring 1994 with one in Anoka, one in Owatonna, one in Chaska, one in Hutchinson and one in Minneapolis.
Newsletter - Spring 1994
Ronald Bennett was named as the new acting director of the undergraduate manufacturing engineering degree program that was scheduled to start fall 1994.
Carolyn Steele, alumna, presented a paper, �Using an Applied Industry/Academia Partnership to Compress the Product Development Process� at LeHigh University's 8 th conference with Industry.
St. Thomas in partnership with United Defense and Horton Manufacturing is offering manufacturing courses tailored to company needs.
Construction was completed on the Binz Refectory lower level laboratory and computer classroom on June 1, 1994.
Bob Brattland started the Shamrock Sprezzatura group focused on pursuing learning beyond the classroom.
Xiaoping Liu left the department for a two-year return to his home country, China.
Alison Leahy became the new office coordinator.
Three classes were offered for summer 1994.
Newsletter - Summer 1994
Distance learning and diverse locations where courses were taught included offerings in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chaska, Owatonna, Anoka, Hutchinson and Mall of America.
The department was awarded a grant from SME of software and library materials.
The Binz Refectory lower level was scheduled for use for Fall 1994.
Equipment added to the new lab was a Nakamura turning center and a Numerex coordinate measuring machine.
Michael H. Schwartz was hired as full-time faculty. His focus was primarily undergraduate engineering courses.
24 courses were offered for Fall 1994 semester with one in Anoka, one in Hutchinson, one in Owatonna, one at the Mall of America, two in Minneapolis and one in Chaska.
Newsletter - Fall 1994
Government approved funds for the UST Science building. The Department of Defense released $15 million for construction of this science building. Construction was slated to begin the following summer.
Dick Fowler, environmental affairs manager of Andersen Corp., spoke at the Manufacturer's Week celebration hosted by St. Thomas.
A profile was devoted to Edward Rzepecki and his many accomplishments.
The department awarded its 100 th Master's degree. Combined were the Master of Manufacturing Systems degrees and the Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems degrees.
20 courses were offered Spring 1995 with one in Hutchinson, one in Chaska, one via video link to Owatonna, one at the Mall of America, one in Minneapolis and one in Anoka.
Newsletter - Spring 1995
Creativity in the work place and in our lives was profiled in this newsletter.
National Engineers Week activities included faculty and students doing science experiments with grade school students at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Paddy Hayes visited manufacturing and business classes at St. Thomas during his visit here from Ireland. He is past chairman of Waterford-Wedgwood, Ford and Aer Lingus.
3M Foundation donates $1 million toward the new science and technology center at St. Thomas.
Ronald Bennett became the chair of the department of Manufacturing System and Engineering department effective July 1. Fred Zimmerman stepped down and will continue as a faculty member after a half-year sabbatical.
Three undergraduate students were awarded Honeywell Scholarships. They were Kolleen Schneider, Mona Nasseff and Jeff O'Brien.
A student SME club was established at St. Thomas.
Karl Mueller joined St. Thomas a Laboratory Technician.
The first Manufacturing Alumni dinner featured Susan Drakulic, Director of Manufacturing for Honeywell's Home and Building Control division.
There were three summer courses offered during summer 1995.
Newsletter - Summer 1995
The upcoming 10 th year anniversary was the focus of the newsletter. Ron Bennett, the new director and Fred Zimmerman, the past director, were profiled.
The Alumni Association for the manufacturing alumni was official established.
Barbara Yarusso was added as full-time faculty.
SME awarded the department a grant for $273,845 for software and manufacturing equipment.
Vernon Cottles was awarded the 3M Circle of Technical Excellence Award.
Robert Monson received Rain Bird Engineering Concept of the Year award.
Minnesota Manufacturer's Week activities included Jim Buckman, co-director of the Quality Leadership Center, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota speaking on �If we're so bad, why are we doing so good.�
24 courses were offered for Fall 1995 with one in Minneapolis, one in Hutchinson, one in Anoka and one in Owatonna.
Newsletter- Spring 1996
Alumni from both MMSE and MSMS programs have been promoted over the past year to positions of greater responsibility and profiles were done on four of them.
St. Thomas hosted the first National Engineering Design Competition for high school students here.
St. Thomas co-sponsored and hosted the monthly meeting of the SME chapter. This included supplier exhibits, student exhibits and NEDC champion design exhibits.
The alumni group created the new UMAC (University Manufacturing Alumni Connection) group for MMSE, MSMS and MBA alumni with a manufacturing concentration.
John Povolny presented a paper at LeHigh's 10 th Conference with Industry. His paper was on �Human Factors in Agile Manufacturing�.
The undergraduate minor in Engineering was approved by St. Thomas.
Robert Monson wins 2 nd prize in the national 1995 Design News Excellence in Design award for working to develop a system to distribute fertilizer.
Newsletter - Summer 1996
The MSE department underwent significant changes over the past few years in response to industry changes.
The UMAC hosted the alumni dinner featuring Gerard Goulet of Blue Cross Blue Shield, who spoke on �Empowerment: Today's Buzzword or Tomorrow's Solution�.
Vernon Cottles was appointed to the position of James A. Thwaits/3M Fellow.
Nick Weis, MMSE graduate, presented paper on �Is the Customer Really Number One� at the Forest Products Society annual meeting.
Mark Dolan, MMSE graduate, received 3M's Technical Circle of Excellence award for Life Science Sector Engineering.
The Minnesota Manufacturer's Week event featured a video conferenced symposium on �Using Technology to Reach the World�.
26 courses were offered for Fall 1996.
Newsletter - Fall 1996
Karl Mueller and his management of the laboratories were profiled.
The senior design project that is a people powered peanut grinding machine for use in rural Zimbabwe is being developed in conjunction with Compatible Technology Inc.
The St. Thomas hosted their second National Engineering Design Competition for high school students.
Horton Inc.'s president and COO, Hutch Shilling is profiled for his commitment to education. Also feature is the group that Horton flies from Britton, SD every week to attend class at St. Thomas.
Dale Wahlstrom was honored for his work on the UMAC board and Industry Advisory Board.
Two courses were offered via distance learning technology. Video conferencing links were established for John Povolny's Excellence in Manufacturing class and Ron Bennett's Capstone course to Owatonna.
Fred Zimmerman received a McKnight Foundation grant of $19,500 to continue his research on manufacturing competitiveness and industrial relocation.
23 courses were offered for Spring 1996.
Newsletter - Spring 1997
The department will be sponsoring a trip to China as part of a course for January 1998.
Michael Ehret, St. Thomas student, shows his factory of the future at QMR Plastics.
The World Wide Web site for St. Thomas is announced.
The MMSE degree is looking into offering a mechatronics concentration.
John Walker is conducting his MMSE 601, Manufacturing Process Design course, in cooperation with Wisconsin's Indianhead Technical College at three sites in Wisconsin as well as here in St. Paul.
UST's Manufacturing System and Engineering Program and Minnesota Technology Inc. were one of four sets of partners to win the 1996 Public Relations Society of America Classic II award for the manufacturer's videoconferencing symposium held in October 1996.
Software to streamline box manufacturing was developed by Edward Rzepecki and Peter Rhode.
70 people attended the UMAC dinner, which featured Arnie Weimerskirch of Honeywell discussing the Malcolm Baldrige award along with former Baldrige winner, Paul Wild of America Express and Nancy Gilden, winner of this year's Baldrige award.
New office coordinator, Debra Ricci, was announced.
Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) awards a scholarship to St. Thomas undergraduate student, Kyle Peterson.
Newsletter - Summer 1997
The Department moves into their new quarters in the Frey Science and Engineering Center.
Minnesota Manufacturer's Week speaker will be IAB member, Arnie Weimerskirch. He will focus on Total Quality Management � A strategy for business renewal. This event was held in the new 3M Auditorium, part of the Frey Science and Engineering Center.
City Business profiles St. Thomas alumnus, Robert Kramer, president and owner of Brookdale Plastics.
Charles O'Brien, father of undergraduate student, Jeff O'Brien, reenergized his career by taking the undergraduate Engineering Graphics course.
Kevin Nicholson was named the UMAC chair after Dale Wahlstrom stepped down.
The first three undergraduate students to graduate with Bachelor of Manufacturing Engineering degrees talk about their experiences while at St. Thomas. They also discussed their work on the Senior Design Project they did in conjunction with Component Technology Inc.
New faculty joined the department. Sameer Kumar and Jeff Jalkio joined the department as full time faculty.
Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association's MPMA Journal profiled MMSE student, Bill Roberts, family's business, Roberts Automatic Products Inc.
Xiaoping Liu and Michael Schwartz leave St. Thomas to pursue other opportunities.
26 courses were offered for Fall 1997 semester.
Newsletter - Fall 1997
The Manufacturing System Engineering department is in the process of launching a new degree program to meet the need for technology management. The Master of Science in Technology Management degree will become available Fall 1998.
The department established a new website for undergraduates and companies looking for internship opportunities.
UMAC hosted tours of the new science buildings and beer and brats event. UMAC group and their families attended two St. Paul Saint's games and planned for a November plant tour.
MSE program is named finalist for the SME CASA Lead Award. While they did not win the award, just being a finalist for this prestigious award was appreciated.
Edward Rzepecki is in the process of publishing his new text, Responsible Packing.
Course previews were developed to encourage students to take a new course. Several were offered before the registration period began. Each preview was video taped and copies are available at the office.
18 courses were offered for Spring 1998.
Newsletter - March 1998
Applications for the new Master of Science in Technology Management program are being taken.
19 men and three women spent 19 days in China studying manufacturing.
Michele Edwards, MSMS graduate, is appointed to the department's Industry Advisory Board.
The senior design project for this year offered CyberOptics, a manufacturing of industrial inspection equipment, solution for a stopper arm to arrest individual circuit boards on an assembly line just long enough to measure them.
The MSE website is expanded to include resumes and internships, course and event information.
UMAC hosts a tour of the Federal Cartridge Co. plant in Anoka.
The MMSE and MSMS degrees add software, medical device and engineering management concentrations to the degree programs.
Newsletter - Summer 1998
The Master of Science in Technology Management program is approved and will begin fall semester.
Charles Keffer, former St. Thomas Provost, joins the Industry Advisory Board.
St. Thomas hosted the National Engineering Design Competition for the third time. The winning team finished 6 th out of 16 teams in the national competition.
UMAC spring dinner features Bill Hudson, WCCO television as speaker.
Ray Willis, professor emeritus of strategic management at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, joins the adjunct faculty to teach Technology Forecasting and Strategic Prospective.
The Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree is offered for the first time Fall 1998. The Bachelor of Manufacturing Engineering will be discontinued effective this semester.
New five course certificates are offered for the first time.
Newsletter - Fall 1998
Undergraduate engineering students who did internships over the summer talk about their experiences.
SME Education Foundation awards the programs a grant of $118,300 for software, library materials and equipment.
Kevin Nicholson joins the Industry Advisory Board.
Arnie Weimerskirch and Ron Bennett received best paper honors at the Education in Manufacturing international conference for a paper titled, �Developing a Customer Center Strategic Planning Model for an Academic Institution�.
UMAC sponsored a plant tour to ADC Telecommunications.
Undergraduate graduating senior students develop a SEM control system as their senior project.
The faculty meeting focused on learning objectives and outcomes in preparation for new ABET criteria and to improve the student learning experience through skill development.
Newsletter - Spring 1999
Feature article is on women in engineering as the graduate and undergraduate programs are attracting more women than ever before.
The department is in the process of planning for accreditation of the MMSE degree for this year and for the BSME program the following year.
St. Thomas hosts their fourth National Engineering Design Competition and the winning local team went on to win the national competition.
Mini in Technology Management short course program is developed and offered for the first time.
Internships and resumes of students interested in internships are found on the internship website.
Jacki Kubal joins the department as office coordinator.
Virginia Tretter joins the department as faculty services coordinator.
Newsletter - Summer 1999
The department hosts a booth at the Wonders of Technology building at the Minnesota State Fair.
Ford Motor Company and St. Thomas partner to provide education to Ford employees and others. A new training facility at the Ford Plant offers facilities for education and other activities. St. Thomas begins offering classes to all students at the Ford Plant.
A Mini in Medical Device short course is developed and offered for the first time.
The SME Education Foundation awards a grant for library materials and in-kind gift of software.
The UMAC group honored John Walker with the �Cashflow� award for integrity, commitment and service to the department.
UMAC spring dinner features Chuck Maitland, Ford Motor Company executive who used to head the local Ford Plant.
Lisa Schuweiler, undergraduate student, is awarded the 1999 Myrtle and Earl Walker Scholarship
The St. Thomas magazine and �Model Railroader� feature faculty member, Dennis Ferguson and his model railroad.
Department adjunct faculty, William Estrem, is named Honeywell Chair in Global Technology Management in the Graduate School of Business.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers awarded Jeff Jalkio, faculty member, a certificate of appreciation for his outstanding work on developing the Standard for Performance Evaluation of Coordinate Measuring Machines.
Newsletter - Fall 1999
A new course in Technology Risk Management is developed and offered for the first time.
The Journal of Applied Manufacturing Systems moves to online rather than printed copy.
Steve Tousignant, BSME 1999, has gone on to pursue a Graduate Programs in Software degree from St. Thomas.
Senior design project for this year is a Medtronic request for developing a sterile packaging system for use on Medtronic product lines.
There is a look back at the experience of a booth at the Minnesota State Fair for the first time.
Dr. Ephraim Sparrow, undergraduate faculty, is honored by the University of Minnesota for teaching excellence.
Newsletter - Spring 2000
Students are given a two-year look at the course offerings for 2000-2001 to facilitate planning.
Internships are highlighted from past years. More locations are needed and more students are available.
Newsletter - Summer 2000
The first group of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering graduates is profiled. Six graduates included one woman, five men, three summa cum laude, one magna cum laude, one with dual degree in engineering and Spanish. The department hosted the parents of the graduating seniors for a senior dinner just before graduation.
The Minnesota State Fair Wonders of Technology booth is looking for assistance in staffing.
Parents were invited to campus to give their perceptions of the engineering program and the pros and cons of the undergraduate program as a whole.
Michael Hennessey joins the full-time faculty. He will teach primarily in the undergraduate program.
Kelly O'Toole joins the department as faculty coordinator.
James A. Thwaits/3M Chair will be held this year by John Walker, Vernon Cottles, Ephraim Sparrow and Edward Rzepecki.
A three part short course on innovation was developed and taught by �Gus� Gaynor, author, retired 3M director of engineering and expert in managing engineering and innovation.
A new course for fall will be Process Control and Improvement � Computer Based Tools taught by Marvin Seppanen and Sameer Kumar.
Newsletter - Fall 2000
Fred Zimmerman outlines the history from his perspective of the 15 years the program has been in existence.
The review of the activities that were part of the STEPS program for 6-7 th grade girls and camper and instructor perspectives were featured in this issue.
Sameer Kumar and Lisa Schuweiler were honored as part of the Line Modeling and Cellular Manufacturing Team that won the Star of Excellence award at Medtronic.
St. Thomas hosted the National Engineering Design Competition with increasing numbers of teams. Alumni and other executives do judging for the event.
Arnie Weimerskirch, retired Honeywell executive, joins St. Thomas in strategic planning and developing the Baldrige for Education department application. Writing this application is part of the continuous improvement process employed by the department.
The MMSE degree program is reaccredited by the Engineering Accrediting Committee of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
