Professor - Dean, College of Applied Science and Technology
1990 - 2011

Memories

Some things of note that happened while I was Dean (in no particular order):

• We eliminated the tech math courses and replaced them with math courses from the math department.
• Early (1992-93 or thereabout) we tried to reduce the required hours for the gen ed science requirement and failed by one vote to get it passed in faculty senate.  The issue turned out to be moot as the next year the college switched to the semester system and all of the course credits needed to be changed anyway.
• In the switch to semesters, we asked if we could change the name of the school of technology to the College of Applied Science and Technology.  This request was approved.
• We developed a strong concurrent enrollment program with many of the high schools in our region which also brought significant money into the college.
• We developed a good relationship with NUAMES and for a while I was on the board of NUAMES as well as serving as president of the board.
• The college approved of and used for many years a Promotion and Tenure policy which was unique in the university and was much less subjective than the policies used in the other colleges.
• Concurrent with the growth of the university, the college saw significant enrollment growth while I was dean.
• We were the first college in the university to hire a full-time computer support person dedicated to the college.  The college was instrumental in developing seven satellites that were launched into space and for a while we had the Center for Aerospace Technology.
• Whenever possible and requested, the college offered a number of sabbaticals including my semester as a visiting professor at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.
• The college continued to emphasize the importance of ABET accreditation and now there are at least eight programs in the college that are ABET accredited.

During the years, we made a number of program changes including:

• Eliminating the associate degree option in Fashion Merchandising (much to Desiree’s chagrin)
• Eliminating the BS degree in Automotive Engineering Technology.
• Moving MET in with MFET and Design Graphics (Design Graphics underwent several name changes)
• Starting the Construction Management Technology program and then later adding Facilities Management as an option in that program.
• Moving the welding program at USU to WSU and creating a welding option in MFET.
• Adding the Plastics and Composites option to MFET.
• Adding the Telecommunications degree to Business Education.  This program is now called Network Management Technology and just received ABET accreditation last year. 
• Adding and then later dropping a Computer Engineering Technology option in EET.
• Trying to keep the Autobody degree functioning and then finally eliminating it as it just wasn’t viable.
• Adding a number of manufacturer’s options to Automotive including Toyota, Chrysler, and Ford to go with the existing GM option.  In the end, these were not viable and it’s my understanding that they are now back to just a generic program with a number of internships available at GM dealers. 
• One I felt was a very important achievement during my tenure was that all of the associate degrees offered in the college became the first two years of the baccalaureate degree for their respective programs.  This allowed students to continue directly onto a bachelor’s degree program with no loss of credit.
• Creating a joint program with the Davis ATC in Heavy Duty Truck Technology which allows DATC students in that program to go on to Weber with no loss of credit to get an AAS degree in Automotive Service Technology.
• A major program change that occurred after I left was the elimination of the TBE department and the moving of many of their courses into the School of Computing.
• Getting approval to offer a BS degree in Electrical Engineering which was approved in the summer of 2011.

We made a number of significant changes in the infrastructure of the college while I was Dean.  These included:

• Several remodels of both the Tech Ed building (may it rest in peace!) and the Engineering Technology building. 
• One of which I am particularly proud is that we were the first college on campus to completely replace all the arm chair desks with tables and chairs, replace all of the chalkboards with white boards and get overhead projectors in every classroom.  It seems to me that the first overhead projector in the college was the one in the Design Graphics classroom on the first floor of the ET building and it cost $10,000.
• Another couple of remodels that come to mind include removing the old radar tower behind the Tech Ed building and removing all of the old steel shutters from the Tech Ed building and buildings 2 and 4.
• The proliferation of computers in the college and the ability to keep them reasonably up-to-date.  At one point, I counted about 850 computes in the college.

Biography

Dr. Warren R. Hill has been involved with engineering technology education for the past 26 years.  His work in engineering technology started when he took a teaching position in Electronics Engineering Technology at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, Colorado in 1981.  At Southern Colorado, he was promoted to full professor and became department chair for Engineering Technology overseeing programs in Civil, Electronics, and Mechanical Engineering Technology.  He also received an outstanding teaching award from the university in 1986.

Dr. Hill left Southern Colorado in 1990 to become Professor of Electronics Engineering Technology and Dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, a position he has held since that time.  During his tenure at Weber State, the college has increased its number of TAC of ABET accredited engineering technology programs from three to five, all of which offer both an associate degree as well as a bachelor=s degree.  He is also responsible for a number of other programs in the college which has a total enrollment of 2,100 students.

Dr. Hill received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Nebraska, his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at Wayne State University and his Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Detroit.  He worked as a project engineer for the Detroit Edison Company for four years and as a project engineer for Eaton Corporation for ten years.  After leaving Eaton, he taught electrical engineering at Lawrence Technological University in Detroit for three years before moving to the University of Southern Colorado.

Dr. Hill is a senior life member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, a member of the American Society of Engineering Educators and a Registered Professional Engineer in the states of Michigan and Colorado.  He is the co-author of three patents.  He also serves as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation and is on the Board of Directors for the Northern Utah Manufacturing Alliance.  He is currently on the Executive Committee of the Technology Accreditation Committee of ABET after serving five years as a commissioner.  He has made 18 accreditation visits for TAC of ABET.  He has been active in both the ETC and ETD divisions of ASEE and has served as the host of the ETLI Conference twice.  His current assignment is for ETC as the liaison to the Engineering Deans Council Data Collection Committee.

Dr. Hill has also been very active in promoting engineering and engineering technology in the State of Utah.  He currently serves as the Affiliate Director for Project Lead the Way, a nationwide high school pre-engineering program, a position he has held for the past four years.  During his tenure, the number of Project Lead the Way schools in Utah has grown from three to fifty-three.  He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Northern Utah Academy of Math, Engineering and Science, an early college charter high school.

 
Dr. Hill has been a tireless promoter and supporter of engineering technology education since 1981. Because of his experience in working as an engineer as well as his continuing contacts with industry, he understands and supports the vital role that engineering technology has to play in providing the technical support that this country desperately needs.  He is honored and humbled to be receiving the James H. McGraw Award for his contributions to engineering technology education.

Dr. Warren Hill and his wife, Heather, live in Ogden, Utah where they both enjoy playing golf every chance they get.