Comments on: Morrill at 150: Creating American Manufacturing Universities

By: Dan Dimancescu

Dan Dimancescu — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:33:28 +0000

The Morrill Act was the subject of a book, GLOBAL STAKES, I co-authored in 1984 with Ray Stata and James Botkin. This led to an initiative co-sponsored by Senators Tsongas and Stennis + others to create a "High Technology Morrill Act". This was passed in the 98th Congress but the $500M funding was not authorized. The aims of the Act are still pertinent and can be seen in summary form by searching key words: High Technology Morrill Act Tsongas.
.

By: rob atkinson

rob atkinson — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:48:33 +0000

Good point. Absolutely agree we need to work at the technician as well as engineering level.

Best wishes

By: George Chryssis

George Chryssis — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:45:24 +0000

Mr. Atkinson's proposal of creating manufacturing Universities is meritorious and timely as well. Even in the current "great recession," technical positions in manufacturing are available but go unfilled due to lack of skilled professionals. Industry needs engineers and technologists with real world "hands-on" experience if "made in America" is going to make and sustain a come back—and all indications are that it will. However, it is worth pointing out that industry will be well served by technologists with a two-year associate degree as well. At Boston's Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, where I am serving as president, we have been educating technologists for over 104 years providing industry with ready-to-work skilled professionals. We have been a "manufacturing college" throughout our history and every year virtually all our graduates are placed in the workplace, fulfilling our benefactor Benjamin Franklin's vision that "good apprentices are most likely to make good citizens"!