ECPD Accredits Thayer Curricula
ALL THREE CURRICULA f£ Dartmouth's .Thayer School of Engineering have been accredited by the Engineers' Council for Professional Development, according to notification received by the College last month. The school's civil engineering curriculum, which has been in operation since 1870, has been accredited ever since the ECPD program was first established in the 1930's; but in the cases of the electrical engineering and mechanical engineering curricula, first established at Thayer School in 1945, this represents the first accreditation action taken.
The Engineers' Council for Professional Development consists of representatives of seven of the major engineering societies of the United States and the Engineering Institute of Canada. It is the only accrediting agency for engineering schools and its stamp of approval has been universally accepted as the measure of acceptability in the field of engineering education.
This ECPD action clears the way for the establishment in Thayer School of student chapters of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to parallel the existing student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. These chapters will be divisions of the all-inclusive student chapter of the Dartmouth Society of Engineers.
Accreditation by the Engineers' Council is required by most states as a basis for accepting engineering school credits toward the requirements for professional engineering registration of individual ap- plicants.
It is given only after an intensive study and inspection, by ECPD's Committee on Engineering Schools, of all phases of the school's operations, including the overall program of required courses, the content of individual courses, examination and grading standards and procedures, qualifications of the teaching staff, laboratory facilities, library facilities, admission policies, and the placement and performance of graduates.
The Council's established policy, however, is to avoid regimentation or standardization of curricula and no internal adjustments of the curricula, staff, facilities or procedures of the Thayer School were required.
With its top-flight faculty and the two new wings recently added to house the electrical engineering and mechanical engineering work, Thayer School is now admirably equipped for three major fields of engineering education. Some expansion of enrollment is desired by the school, but it will still adhere to its policy of small classes and intensive instruction.
THE FULL MEMBERSHIP OF THE DARTMOUTH BOARD OF TRUSTEES was present for the annual fall meeting in October. Left to right, front row: William W. Grant '03, Denver; Governor Sherman Adams '20 of New Hampshire; President Dickey; John R. McLane '07, Manchester, N. H.; Victor M. Cutter '03, Boston. Back row: Beardsley Ruml '15, New York; Nelson A. Rockefeller '30, New York; Dr. John F. Gi!e '16, Hanover; Dudley W. Orr '29, Concord, N. H.; Harvey P. Hood '18, Boston; Edward S. French '06, Boston; and Sigurd S. Larmon '14, New York.
