NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois State University kicked off the new College of Engineering with its first-ever day of classes and guest speakers in Williams Hall on Monday.
“We had a great first day in the College of Engineering. We had guest speakers; the president of Illinois State University and the provost came. They had some motivating and inspirational thoughts for our students,” said Matt Aldeman, the associate dean of the College of Engineering.
171 students are registered in the college this semester, spread between three different majors: Electrical, mechanical and general engineering. Many new classes will also be offered in the college, giving new students the chance to learn to be an engineer.
“It’s great to have another college. It’s good for the university. I also think it’s good for the state of Illinois. I think engineers are in high demand. The growth prospects for the engineering profession are very high over the next 15 years. I think it’s a win-win for all parties,” said Aldeman.
Aldeman shared how he and the president and many others have been planning this launch for a while now, and although they were nervous for the first day, it ended up going well.
“I started in this position a year ago, so it’s been a long time in the planning process. You know, can’t deny that. You know, last week I was, you know, a little bit nervous, wanted to make sure everything was going to go well and smoothly this week. But all in all, it’s been a very exciting time and it’s gone really well,” he said.
The university purchased an old Country Financial building back in November of 2024, and the plans were to renovate it for the College of Engineering. This building is currently in the process of being renovated and will offer many different engineering labs and tools for students to use.
That building will be ready for use as soon as the summer of 2026.
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