Development of an extended campus mechanical engineering program

The University of Kentucky College of Engineering is currently in the process of establishing mechanical and chemical engineering programs in the Purchase Area region of western Kentucky. These extended campus programs being developed are unique because they are located on a community college campus 255 miles from the main Lexington campus, and they are the direct responsibility of the Lexington campus College of Engineering dean. The motivation for developing these programs was to provide engineering graduates and further engineering educational opportunities for local industries in the area. The programs were initiated after Kentucky's Council on Higher Education passed a resolution, based on a needs assessment, directing three educational institutions (University of Kentucky, Murray State University, and Paducah Community College) to cooperate in establishing ABET-accredited undergraduate programs in mechanical and chemical engineering in the western Kentucky region, with the University of Kentucky designated as the degree-granting institution. This paper will provide an overview of the development of the extended campus program in mechanical engineering, including a description of the extended campus concept, the role of distance learning, comparative programs state-wide and nationally, and efforts toward ABET accreditation.