VCU news

By Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University announced today (May 3) that they will sign an agreement to cooperate in offering computer engineering programs that promise to benefit Central Virginia industry and businesses, students pursuing computer engineering degrees and faculty at both institutions.

VCU and VSU will share research facilities and faculty, provide VSU access to a VCU graduate program and allow VCU graduate students to teach at VSU.

VCU President Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., and VSU President Eddie N. Moore, Jr., will sign the agreement during a ceremony at 11 a.m., May 6 at VCU.

"With our presence squarely in the information age and our standing on the threshold of the most important area of medical and life sciences, we find the need for highly qualified persons in the area of information technology to be insatiable in the foreseeable future," said Trani.

This need can be subdivided into three areas: Computer Engineering, the design and application of present and future computer processors and application-specific integrated circuits in solving information processing problems; Computer Science, the design of mathematical algorithms and programming codes resulting in software packages necessary for processing information; and Information Systems, the application of existing software packages and computer engines presenting and anticipating information processing problems and situations.

VCU’s Electrical Engineering program and VSU’s Department of Engineering and Technology share common interests in the area of Computer Engineering. The computer engineering program at VSU is primarily oriented in the application of computers in a manufacturing process or in a system environment. VCU’s computer engineering program emphasizes the optimal design of computer components such as processors, microprocessors and application-specific integrated circuits.

"The two programs are highly complementary, providing an exceptional benefit to students in Central Virginia who now will have access to a complete computer engineering education by two cooperating programs of modest size," said Robert J. Mattauch, Ph.D., dean of VCU’s School of Engineering. "This venture is accomplished without duplication of resources and provides strength through the diversity presented by two separate facilities."

In their memorandum of understanding, VCU and VSU have agreed to the following:

• Shared research facilities and opportunities.

            The facilities at VCU will provide excellent opportunities for faculty at both universities to submit joint                             proposals for sponsored research to both the government and private sector and to work together on                         graduate-level projects. Jointly proposed research programs will qualify for a much greater breadth of                         federal, state and private programs than separately proposed programs.

• Access to a graduate program.

            The graduate program at VCU will provide an opportunity for VSU faculty to supervise graduate students and             participate in graduate activities.

• Shared faculty.

            By hiring faculty in complementing areas, both schools can offer a much broader range of topics in computer             engineering.

• Summer internships.

            The VCU’s School of Engineering will serve as a source for summer internships for VSU students. Stipends             for these students could come from grants obtained by both VSU and VCU faculty.

• Graduate study.

            The VCU School of Engineering will be the graduate school of choice for VSU students who wish to pursue                 graduate degrees.

• Tutoring and teaching assistance.

            Opportunities for VCU graduate students in teaching may be available at VSU. Funding for these students                 may come from external sponsorship.