CLASS OF 2004 WILL BE FIRST TO HAVE CHOICE TO RECEIVE ENGINEERING DEGREE
The Smith College Board of Trustees recently approved a plan to establish the very first engineering program at a U.S. women's college.
The new Picker Program in Engineering and Technology is named for the late Jean Sovatkin Picker, a 1942 Smith graduate and former United Nations official, and her husband, Harvey Picker, a longtime Smith supporter whose $5 million gift established an endowment for this program.
Additional support for the program has come from Rosemary Bradford Hewlett, a 1940 graduate, and the William R. Hewlett Trust.
Under the direction of a founding chairperson, to be named in the coming months, the Picker program is likely to focus initially on three fields: computer engineering, electrical engineering and environmental engineering. These fields build on existing faculty strengths at the college in the areas of computer science, geology, physics and environmental science.
The college will offer its first engineering course, DESIGNING THE FUTURE: AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING this fall. Once all of the program areas are established, the college expects to enroll 100 engineering majors at any one time, graduating approximately 25 women per year.
SAVE THE DATES AND RETURN TO NORTHAMPTON
In conjunction with the Clubs Leadership Conference and Parents Weekend, President Ruth Simmons will host a Smith Celebration of the Liberal Arts, present and future, for the entire Smith community October 22-24, 1999. Smith trustees, alumnae, students and parents are invited to participate in a variety of interactive programs over the two days.
The fun begins Friday at 4 p.m. with a series of teas across campus. A Friday night dinner for alumnae volunteers and trustees is being planned, and a major keynote speaker will address the entire Smith community Friday night. Saturday's Smith Celebration programs will be woven into the training schedule, substituting for their usual Smith update sessions. Attend classes, observe student presentations, meet faculty, hear President Simmons and enjoy a keynote address by a major speaker.
~~ Information on this page taken from literature sent to the Club from the college.