12.13.04

Cantwell, Gonzaga University, and Local Companies Team Up to Create New Power Transmission Engineering Program That Will Educate Future Workers to Meet Growing Energy Industry's Needs

Congress OKs $750,000 to kick-start innovative program;'03 Cantwell study shows industry could add +1,000 jobs in E. and Central WA

SPOKANE, WA – Today U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Gonzaga University President, Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., revealed details of a new program to train much-needed power transmission engineers to meet the demands of our country's growing energy industry. Cantwell and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) secured $750,000 in federal funds that will be used to help develop the specialized engineering curriculum and to renovate and expand labs in Gonzaga's Herak Center for Engineering. Gonzaga's new Electric Utility Transmission and Distribution Line Engineering Program is expected to train 75 qualified engineers annually by its fifth year of operation. Details of the program were being announced today at a press conference at 1:30 p.m. in the Herak Center for Engineering.

There are currently 23,000 power grid engineers in the United States . Half of them are expected to retire in the next twenty years, with no formal program in place to help replace them with trained and qualified engineers. According to the Edison Electric Institute, within five years the need for transmission engineers in the U.S. will be five to ten time greater than it is now. Power engineers are critical as the Northwest region redesigns, builds, maintains and improves its power grid.

"Power and electricity is something we all take for granted until it doesn't work anymore," Cantwell stated. "Demands on our power grid continue to grow and w e must prepare younger generations to help fulfill our future's needs. I'm proud to be part of a one-of-a-kind project like the one at Gonzaga that will add jobs to the Northwest through education and innovation."

Cantwell released a report in April 2003 revealing an opportunity to add 1,000 American jobs in the next five years because of a growing need for skilled workers in the energy industry. More than half of the nation's electrical and power engineers will retire in the next twenty years and there is currently no formal training program to replace retiring workers with new qualified engineers.

Gonzaga University plans to enroll 25 students in the first year of the program and in the second year it plans to enroll another 50 students throughout the country who will enroll and participate online. This will considerably boost the number of engineers with expertise in transmission and distribution line engineering, considering there are only about 500 undergraduate degrees, fewer than 200 masters degrees and about 20 PhDs conferred per year in this country in the area of power engineering.

Gonzaga's program will offer a Masters of Science degree and certification for working professionals in engineering.

To get the program off the ground, Sens. Cantwell and Murray secured $750,000 in the FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The funds could be used to meet a number of the program's needs like maintaining the program's new and innovative online component that will include a 24-hour help desk for all online students and an intranet site for students to access the substantial software program used for courses.

For the students on campus, the funds may also help upgrade their computer and technology needs. Because each student must have hands-on experience using complex software, it will be necessary to have at least two classrooms equipped with 30 computers. There will also be a new power laboratory and equipment.

Sen. Murray said, "I'm proud to work with my colleagues to direct federal funding back to Gonzaga for this important project. Developing this new engineering curriculum with top-flight facilities to meet our employment needs is a great use of federal dollars. I look forward to continuing our work together to improve our schools, our workforce, and our state."

In addition to the federal funding, a critical factor in the success of this program will come from private partnerships with companies such as Avista and Itron Corporations. Avista Corp. will provide industry experts as adjunct faculty and use its engineering expertise as a lead partner in the curriculum development. Itron will provide leading edge software that will help students develop state of the art transmission lines, which can save utilities 10 to 20 percent over conventional methods that are the industry standards today.

The FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill was signed into law late last week and industry leaders and Gonzaga University will move forward with putting plans for its new transmission and power engineering program in place.