College of Engineering Dean Mark Kushner said his intent is to fund the minor almost exclusively through private gifts. He said the college is in discussion with industrial collaborators for "fairly substantial support" from the private sector.
"Unfortunately that is hard to predict what the outcome will be," Kushner said. "We are very optimistic that we will be able to fund it 100 percent from private sources, but I would be disingenuous if I said that was a guarantee."
Some faculty within ISU's College of Engineering questioned whether funding would be available for such an initiative. The proposal given to the ISU Faculty Senate called for $110,000 to be raised from private gifts and $110,000 to come from existing funds within the college.
The college estimates $117,500 to $150,000 will be needed during the first year to start the program.
"If reallocating funds is necessary, it will be in the overall benefit of the university," he said.
Kushner said the college will proceed with the program in a "less aggressive way" if all of the money expected is not available.
The 21-credit program will use existing engineering courses and will need to create 13 new courses over the span of five years.
The goal of the minor is to educate non-engineering students in the basic concepts of engineering without the need for elaborate mathematical and scientific preparation.
The minor seeks to create "more capable workers, voters and leaders in a society in which engineering factors are pervasive elements in planning and decision making," according to the proposal.
The college plans to enroll 50 students in the program during the first year and 100 students each year following.
The issue was debated in both the college and the Faculty Senate.
Lehigh University, a private college in Bethlehem, Pa., is the only other college in the country to offer this type of program, according to the proposal.
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