University of Minnesota Institute of Technology changes name to the College of Science and Engineering

Contacts: Preston Smith, University News Service, (612) 625-0552, smith@umn.edu
Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering, (612) 626-7959, rzurn@umn.edu

Change will more clearly describe unique combination of science and engineering disciplines

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (06/30/2010) —On July 1, the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology changes its name to the College of Science and Engineering. The change will more clearly describe the unique combination of science and engineering disciplines within the college to prospective students and faculty, business partners and research-granting agencies. The University of Minnesota's Board of Regents approved the name change last December.

The Dean's Advisory Board, comprised of alumni and business leaders, recommended in 2008 that the dean pursue a name change for the college. Members of the advisory board have agreed to donate private funds to cover costs incurred due to the name change.

"The Institute of Technology name (with its acronym IT) has become increasingly problematic in terms of securing financial support and recognition for critical academic programs within our college," said Steven L. Crouch, dean. "Today, IT has come to mean information technology to virtually everyone. In addition, few people outside the university have an understanding of the difference between the Institute of Technology and various research institutes at the University that do not have academic degree programs."

The University of Minnesota is the only major research institution in the United States that combines science and engineering disciplines within one academic unit of the university. Established in 1935, the college encompasses 10 engineering programs, computer science, mathematics, statistics and five physical sciences including physics, chemistry, astrophysics, geology and geophysics. The College of Science and Engineering also oversees or is part of more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers and facilities.

The college currently enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students and employs about 400 faculty. The college has more than 55,000 living science and engineering alumni. About half of those alumni live in the Twin Cities metro area.

For more information, visit the college's new website at cse.umn.edu.

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