Known for its cutting-edge cars, WWU program could hit the brakes

The future of a popular program at Western Washington University is in doubt as it tries to find consistent funding.

The Industrial Technology Vehicle Design program, which is the classroom portion of the Vehicle Research Institute, is expected to be put on a moratorium until it can become accredited. To do that, the university would need money from the state — and past proposals have not been funded.

Earlier this week, faculty members in the engineering and design department voted for the moratorium. The proposal now heads to two more committees for a decision.

If the moratorium is approved, students already in the program will be allowed to continue, but no new students would be accepted while a proposal is put together to get enough funding to become an accredited program.

Other aspects of the VRI, including the club known for building its unique vehicles, will remain in place, said Jeff Newcomer, professor and chair of Western’s engineering and design department, in an interview.

The institute is known for a variety of projects over the years that involve inventive ways of designing vehicles that have less impact on the environment, including competing for the X-Prize in 2010. Other projects include designing a hybrid bus and creating SAE Formula and Baja vehicles.

The program has operated without accreditation, so graduates leave with a Western degree but without additional accreditation. Other programs in the department, like electrical engineering and manufacturing engineering, provide degrees that are accredited.

Without external accreditation, Newcomer said, the vehicle design students have fewer career choices and graduate school options, adding that some companies and schools won’t hire or admit a person unless they have an engineering accreditation.

He called the accreditation as a “seal of quality” that requires programs to keep improving in order to stay in compliance.

In order to become an accredited program, Newcomer estimates the department needs $500,000 annually in state funding to expand the courses offered and bring on extra faculty and staff.

Newcomer said raising money through outside sources, such as through industry, would be difficult because the funding is needed annually.

A group of alumni is pushing back against the moratorium plan, saying it runs the risk of killing a program known for its unique, hands-on structure.

“A moratorium is used to wind down or bolster a program, and there has been no indication that they want to bolster the program,” said Paul Van Metre, a Western alumni who received a vehicle design program degree in the mid-1990s.

He and his business partners who also were involved in VRI founded Pro CNC, a Bellingham tool manufacturing shop. Pro CNC would eventually be sold and become Trulife Engineered Solutions in the Cordata neighborhood.

Van Metre said in an interview that even though resources have dwindled and the program doesn’t have accreditation, it remains popular with students.

He also pointed out Western’s own survey indicated graduates of the vehicle design program get well-paying jobs, adding that the program could still operate while it seeks accreditation.

Newcomer said the program usually has a waiting list for the 12 slots available each year, but it has become one of the smaller programs in the department as resources have shifted to the accredited programs.

“If there was a lack of demand, I would understand (a moratorium), but there isn’t,” Van Metre said. “The industry needs more people from the VRI. The hands-on experience makes it a really unique program.”

Newcomer said students can get good career opportunities by participating in other aspects of the VRI, like the Formula SAE team.

Newcomer said the moratorium would allow the VRI’s director, Eric Leonhardt, some time to put together a proposal that gets funded by the state. Repeated past proposals did not get funding.

Leonhardt acknowledges the concern from alumni that the program might not come back.

“I think there is a feeling that the program is being erased,” Leonhardt said in an interview.

Leonhardt said he knows what course content is needed to attract state funding, but wants to consult more with employers.

Even though some companies want students from accredited programs, he noted that national companies like Tesla and SpaceX have hired students from the VRI because the amount of hands-on experience they get in the program helps them hit the ground running.

With students putting in more than 20 hours a week in labs, it is an opportunity for students to learn about struggling, making it a safe place to fail, he said. That kind of experience helps equip them for the real world challenges.

“There are huge demands for skills our students are already getting, but if we can add more skills, there are hundreds of jobs available to our students,” Leonhardt said.

This story was originally published November 17, 2018 at 5:00 AM.