Audio Engineering Technology. At the. University of Hartford. Alan Hadad, Akram Abu aisheh, Hisham Alnajjar, Timothy Britt, Lynroy Grant

Transcription

1 Audio Engineering Technology At the University of Hartford Alan Hadad, Akram Abu aisheh, Hisham Alnajjar, Timothy Britt, Lynroy Grant College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture University of Hartford West Hartford, CT Abstract In 1994, the University of Hartford introduced a new major based upon a synthesis of two disciplines in which the University already had a demonstrated expertise and significant human and physical resources. The program was given the appellation Audio Engineering Technology, and drew upon the faculty, laboratories, studios, and existing courses in two of its nine colleges: the Samuel I Ward College of Technology and the Hartt School of Music. It was innovative in that it crossed collegiate lines (a difficult task in many universities) and addressed a need in the recording industry that at the time was being met by a relative paucity of institutions. Its sustainability is attested to by the fact that, some eighteen years later, it is one of the highest enrolled programs in the University, having produced tens of millions of dollars in revenue, and simultaneously provided hundreds of students with employable skills and the opportunity for upward mobility in their profession. In an era in which many institutions struggle to maintain enrollments in traditional engineering technologies, despite the well documented needs for technically educated graduates in the marketplace, the author(s) believe that the educational philosophy underlying this program of studies could serve as a model for other innovative curricula. Examples will be presented of other majors with a technological base that may be combined with selected departments outside engineering technology that would be academically defensible, cost effective, and render students highly employable upon graduation.

2 (I) The University of Hartford The University of Hartford, located in West Hartford, Connecticut, is a private, non sectarian, mid size, comprehensive institution. Founded in 1957 by the merger of a conservatory of music, an art school, and a local commuter college, it currently enrolls between 4500 and 5000 fulltime undergraduates, and more than 7000 students overall, including part time and graduate students. Administratively, it is divided into seven colleges, one of which is the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), which administers Audio Engineering Technology, the major that forms the title of this paper. Among the other colleges of the University is the Hartt School, which is an internationally known school of the performing arts, and which likewise is of critical importance in this program of studies. The University offers degrees ranging from the Associate to the Doctorate, but its focus is on undergraduate education at the baccalaureate level. CETA in turn was established in 2003 by the merger of previously separate colleges of engineering and technology. It offers ABET accredited baccalaureate programs in electrical, mechanical, civil, computer, biomedical, and acoustical engineering, and in electronic, mechanical, and architectural engineering technology. It also houses a Master s in Architecture program, accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), as well as graduate programs in electrical, mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering. Its total enrollment is in excess of 850 students. (II) Evolution of Audio Engineering Technology At the birth of the University in 1957, engineering technology was limited to a single program in electronics. For several decades, this was eminently successful, but in the 1980 s, enrollments began to decline, due in part to the changing economic climate of the United States, and very much in keeping with the national trend at the time. Accordingly, in 1989, the aforementioned College of Technology commenced a strategic plan of broadening and diversifying its offerings in engineering technology. One of the ideas that surfaced was based upon the recognition that the recording industry in the United States had a very real need for graduates who had some expertise in both music and electronics, given the widespread use of electronic devices in the production of popular music. The University felt that it was particularly well suited to pursue this concept, given that it had a conservatory of music and a school of technology that had been founded as a uni dimensional school of electronics. [Indeed, the general feeling was that if there was another institution of higher education in the country that possessed the same combination of expertise in these disciplines, we were unaware of it.] As members of the professoriate are well aware, crossing collegiate lines to develop interdisciplinary majors can be quite challenging. Nevertheless, this effort resulted in 1994 in

3 the development of two new programs: Audio Engineering Technology, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science, (B.S.) administered by the College of Technology, and Music Production and Technology, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.), administered by the aforementioned Hartt School. They joined the existing program in Acoustical Engineering, which offered the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.), administered by the previously separate College of Engineering, to give the University of Hartford a real distinction in the area of sound and music. (III) Engineering Technology Enrollments The following represents a snapshot of the trend of engineering technology enrollments in the twenty years since the University of Hartford commenced its strategic plan: National Enrollments in Engineering Technology 1 Year Full Time Part Time Total ,472 51, , ,374 39, , ,111 38, ,964 % Change: % 24.6 % 14.1 % Engineering Technology Enrollments at the University of Hartford 2 Year Full Time Part Time Total % Change: % 52.5% % The data reveals that the University of Hartford was successful in resisting the national trend of declining enrollments in engineering technology. While this was the result of several new

4 programs of study, Audio Engineering Technology was unique in that it was initially built largely upon existing courses and therefore initially utilized existing facilities. Hence, it was highly cost effective, and provided an income stream that was used to build new facilities, develop new courses, and hire additional faculty. In the Fall of 2012 (the most recent year for which there is available data at the time of the writing of this paper), Audio Engineering Technology ranked in the top 15% in terms of enrollment in undergraduate majors at the University of Hartford for the tenth consecutive year. (IV) Curriculum Audio Engineering Technology at the University of Hartford has evolved and matured since the first curriculum. The following is a delineation of the current requirements for the degree in Audio Engineering Technology: 3 (a) General Education English 9 credits Mathematics 12 Physics 8 Lab Science Elective 4 Humanities/Social Sciences Electives 15 Freshman Dialogue 1 Total General Education : 48 credits (b) Major Electronics Technology 28 credits Audio Technology 25 Musical and Architectural Acoustics 3 Technical and Professional Electives 24 Total Major: 80 credits Grand Total Bachelor of Science: 128 credits It should be noted that the program has deliberately not been submitted for TAC/ABET accreditation. There are several reasons for this:

5 There is not currently a category among TAC/ABET classifications entitled Audio. The employers who have hired graduates of this program are largely unaware of the existence of ABET. Given the above, it is not at all clear that TAC/ABET accreditation would add to the value of the program. The University of Hartford, with ten ABET accredited programs of study (six in EAC, four in TAC), can hardly be accused of not recognizing the value that ABET brings to engineering technology programs. However, the thinking has been (thus far) that the nearly unique nature of this major rendered it the exception to the rule. (V) Employment of Graduates The following is a partial list of some of the employers who have hired graduates of the University of Hartford baccalaureate program in Audio Engineering Technology: North American Theatrics (Audio/media System contractors high profile casinos; JFK Center, Washington D.C., Museum of Natural History, New York city, etc.) NBC Rockefeller Center NBC World Wide Olympics Media Telefunken Corp. USA (microphone design and manufacturing) Taylor Swift (top country music artist) Wizard Sound (systems and concert event sound) Sprague Sound (systems and concert event sound) Lab Tech (computer speakers and microphones) Music industries, Inc. (manufacturer of multiple lines of music equipment; owner of Behringer City in China, where manufacturing takes place) The Hit Factory Recording Studio Capital Records Studios ESPN Channel 3 Connecticut TV station Channel 61 Connecticut TV station WCCC Hartford Rock Radio Connecticut National Public Radio (NPR) Fairfield (CT) performing Arts Center Johns Hopkins University Performing Arts Center/Recording Facility Upscale Audio (warranty repair of most audio equipment lines and recording/sound system installations Comedy Central Network (cable TV)

6 It should be noted that the above list is by no means intended to be exhaustive, but rather is merely a representative sample. Of particular interest is the fact that there is a healthy mix of local employers and national employers, indicating that the degree is highly portable across the United States. (VI) Model for Future Development The unemployment rate in the last several years has stubbornly resisted the attempts of many good people to reduce it. Simultaneously, there are many complaints from business and industry of the lack of technically qualified individuals to fill existing jobs. The authors are well aware that more research is needed to understand fully all of the underlying dynamics involved in the success of this specific program of studies. Nevertheless, it is the thesis of this paper that the data presented is sufficiently compelling to hypothesize that the engineering technology community could play a significant role in alleviating both of these not unrelated concerns. In establishing the major in Audio Engineering Technology, the University of Hartford took advantage of existing strengths. But clearly, this is not the only institution that has areas upon which it is possible to build in a cost effective manner. The following are some examples of majors that cross disciplinary lines, but which have a technological component and in which engineering technology could play a leading role: Construction Management Facilities Management Telecommunications Multimedia Technology Environmental Technology The above list is by no means intended to be exhaustive; quite the contrary, it is envisioned that there is a virtually limitless list of majors with a technological base, but which include an important component in other areas of the academy. The authors obviously defer to the faculty in engineering technology in other institutions as the most qualified to identify such potential majors. (VII) References 1. Engineering Workforce Commission (formerly Engineering Manpower Commission) of the American Association of Engineering Societies, Inc., Engineering and Technology Enrollments, 1989, 1999, University of Hartford, Office of the Registrar, Registrar s Reports, 1989, 1999, University of Hartford Undergraduate Bulletin, 2013,