Kettering University
| File:KetteringUniversityLogo.jpg | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 1919 |
| President | Dr. Stanley R. Liberty |
| Provost | Dr. Michael Harris |
Academic staff | 145 |
| Students | 3000+ |
| Undergraduates | 2400 |
| Postgraduates | 600+ |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Yellow and Blue |
| Website | www.kettering.edu |
Kettering University (formerly the "General Motors Institute") is an engineering college in Flint, Michigan. The campus is located along the scenic Flint River on property that used to be the main manufacturing location for General Motors. It is named after inventor Charles Kettering[1].
The university boasts that the majority of its' seniors are employed or accepted to graduate schools before graduation and that one out of 15 alumni either own their own business or are high-level managers in leading companies (see Notable Alumni). Although the school's undergraduate class is small with approximately 2,400 students[2], it graduates one of the largest mechanical engineering graduating classes in the United States annually and is consistently ranked by US News and World Report as one of the best schools in the country for an undergraduate engineering education without PhD programs.
History
The history of Kettering University is deeply tied to the development of the American automotive industry. The school was originally founded as The School of Automotive Trades in 1919 by Albert Sobey under the direction of the Industrial Fellowship of Flint as a night school, training individuals for careers in industry. In 1923 the school became known as the Flint Institute of Technology. General Motors acquired the school in 1926, renaming it General Motors Institute.
GMI focused on creating leaders for business and industry (sometimes called the West Point of Industry[3]) and pioneered many educational firsts including the co-op program (following the development of this program at the University of Cincinnati in 1907), a freshmen level manufacturing course, and automotive degree specialities. Acceptance to the school included a job at General Motors as an engineer. Work and school were mixed in six-week rotations. Because General Motors used the school to train its engineers, tuition was partially subsidized. A fifth-year thesis requirement was added in 1945, along with the ability to grant degrees.
In June of 1980, with the entry of the Graduating Class of 1985, co-op rotations were expanded to twelve weeks. After General Motors reduced its operations in Flint, the company and the University became separate entities in 1982, although General Motors continued to hire co-ops from GMI. The name of the institution at that time became GMI Engineering & Management Institute. The letters GMI were retained to allow easy identification with the old General Motors Institute, although officially GMI didn't stand for General Motors anymore. As part of this change new co-op employers began participating with the institution, one of the first non-GM sponsors being Magna International of Canada, and the University began charging a full tuition fee.
On January 1 1998, the school's name was formally changed to Kettering University. Various reasons for the name change have been offered, including:
- The desire to create an identity separate from General Motors and the auto industry, especially with corporate partners and funding agencies who naturally assumed that GMI was still a part of General Motors
- The desire to avoid confusion with General Motors University, a General Motors training center created in 1997[4].
- A desire to honor Charles F. Kettering, who was an early 20th century inventor.
Admissions
| Kettering University Presidents | |
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The freshman class of 2006 was selected from 2,157 applicants where 1,534 were admitted and 398 enrolled. On average, 86% of freshman scored higher then 600 on the math section of the SAT and 84% scored over 500 on the verbal section[5]. On top of this, students averaged a 3.54 GPA from high school and an average ACT score of 26[6]. Kettering's student population is unbalanced with an overwhelming 85% male undergraduates.
Academic Programs
Kettering University offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Industrial Engineering, Management, and Mechanical Engineering. The University also offers several minors and has recently developed a Master's Program. Although courses differ with major, on average, completion of 160 credit hours is needed for graduation.
Kettering is one of the few engineering schools that prepares students for the workplace through 100% participation in a co-op program. In addition to classwork, students spend half the year acquiring full-time professional work experience. This is broken into four rotations of 11 week terms. The student body is separated into two sections, A and B. A-Section attends classes from July to September and then from January to March, while B-Section attends classes from October to December and April to June. During the three-month periods between class terms, students work full-time with one of 700 co-op employer partners[7]. As a requirement to graduate, each student must complete five work terms and a major project for their employer in the form of a thesis. On average a student earns between $40,000 and $65,000 through out their co-op experience[8]. The curriculum is designed to be completed in four and one-half years.
Campus
Kettering University consists of six buildings and sixty-five acres of land. In 1995, a park and recreational center was built from much of this land, totaling over $7 million dollars[9]. Student housing is supported by two of these six building, which are discussed in student life. The school's Campus Center is the location of the Admissions and Public Relations offices as well as the student cafeteria.
The C.S. Mott Engineering and Science Center was constructed in 2003 and contains an entire fuel cell systems and powertrain integration labs[10]. This $43 million dollar laboratory also contains an emissions lab, bioengineering labs and other various labs that make the majority of the science courses.
Kettering is also one of the few schools in the nation to have a crash safety center, in which student are able to experience crash testing and develop effective safety equipment[11]. Also located in the Academic Building, Kettering offers a variety of other engineering labs such as machining, welding, polymer processing and injection molding[12].
In addition to the park, the Connie and Jim John Recreation Center was built to offer student a larger selection of activities. With over 75,000 cubic feet, some of the more notable aspects are its' Olympic sized pool, indoor track and numerous tennis, basketball and racquetball courts[11].
Student life
48 percent of students live on campus in either the 445 student resident's hall or at the newly build apartment complex capable of housing 140-160. Kettering students stay active with their involvement in over 15 Greek organizations, student government and recreational activities[13].
Clubs
Kettering Student Government sponsors many student clubs to promote an atmosphere conducive to social interaction. Most clubs receive money from the University to operate. However, some clubs are self financing, either because they wish to avoid the restrictions placed on the KSG sponsored clubs or because they are unaware that funding is available. For a full list of clubs, see the list of student organizations at the bottom of the page.
Greek life
The university has a very active Greek system, which is recognized as an excellent source of service opportunities and leadership training. Over one-third of the student body is currently involved in a Fraternity or sorority. Historically membership has been as high as 80%. However, several years of continually declining fraternity membership have caused debate in the community as to the cause. Most of the chapters agree that school policy is a major factor, however there is disagreement as to the solution.
Many North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) fraternities have chapters at Kettering as do several National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities. The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) has several local chapters that are also affiliated with Kettering. Each group has a school-wide council that its members participate in. These councils are designed to keep communication lines open between the different groups, and to facilitate relations with the University on matters such as school-wide events and membership. In addition to the recognized organizations there are several unrecognized organizations including a local Christian fraternity and a local Christian sorority. For a full list of the Greek letter organizations on campus, see the list of Greek Letter Organizations.
During the first few weeks of school, freshmen are "rushed", a period of intense recruitment where all of the IFC Fraternities host events and attempt to recruit new members. Fraternities promote their events with signs, calendars, personal visits, and by painting the bull dog, a campus tradition. The process is often marred by misconceptions about Greek life made popular in movies like Animal House. As a result, discussions about the rush rules often become heated and are the major point of contention between the chapters.
Notable alumni
Although Kettering University is a small school, with only 28,000 alumni, a high percentage have experienced extremely successful careers. Some examples of notable alumni include:
| Name | Graduation Year | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Borland | 1993 | NASCAR Nextel Cup Crew Chief |
| Michael Burns | 1975 | CEO Dana Corporation |
| Ivan Deveson | 1959 | Retired Lord Mayor of Melbourne Australia |
| Chet Huber | 1977 | President, OnStar Corp |
| Henry Juszkiewicz | 1974 | CEO, Gibson Guitar Corporation |
| Bob Kagle | 1978 | General Partner, Benchmark Capital |
| James McCaslin | 1974 | COO, Harley-Davidson Motor Co. |
| F. James McDonald | 1944 | Former President, General Motors Corporation |
| Stan O'Neal | 1974 | CEO, Merrill Lynch |
| Marissa Peterson | 1983 | Executive Vice President, Sun Microsystems |
| Dr. Robert Reiss | 1960 | America's first biomedical engineer |
Honorary degrees
- Chet Huber '77, Honorary Doctor of Engineering, 2006, President, OnStar
- Steve Wozniak Honorary Doctor of Engineering, 2005, co-founder of Apple Computer (external link & photos)
- Dean Kamen Honorary Doctor of Engineering, 2001, Inventor of Segway (external link & photos)
External links
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List of student organizations
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List of Greek Letter organizations at Kettering
North-American Interfraternity Conference fraternities
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- Delta Sigma Theta
- Alpha Phi Alpha
- Kappa Alpha Psi known as "The Kappas"
References
- ^ Inventor of the week, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- ^ U.S. News and World Report
- ^ Kettering Fast Facts
- ^ General Motors Training and Education
- ^ Yahoo College Facts
- ^ Princeton Review
- ^ Kettering Employer Partners
- ^ Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation
- ^ Whatsupdowntown
- ^ fuelcellworks
- ^ a b Peterson's College Close-Up
- ^ Kettering Facts
- ^ College Data