Advancing Engineering
Ohio Wesleyan Launches an Endowed School of Engineering, Charting a New Direction for Student Learning, Innovation, and Leadership
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced the creation of an endowed School of Engineering, powered by more than $17 million in alumni philanthropy and strengthened by collaborations with leading engineering partners. The school – the most ambitious academic expansion in OWU's 183-year history – will welcome its first mechanical engineering majors in fall 2027.
OWU's new Conrades School of Engineering positions the university as a national model for engineering education, said President Matt vandenBerg, one grounded in compassion, creativity, interdisciplinary thinking, and the power skills that prepare students to shape a rapidly changing world. The school is named in recognition of university alumni George Conrades, Class of 1961, and Patricia "Patsy" Belt Conrades, Class of 1963, who are supporting it with a lead gift of $13 million.
'Educate, Empower, and Serve'
"The Conrades School of Engineering does more than create a stronger Ohio Wesleyan," said vandenBerg, Ed.D., "it creates a stronger world. Our purpose isn't self-improvement but the public good – an act of boldness, kindness, and innovation that reflects who we are. By aligning our resources with the urgent needs of our community, we embody the true promise of the liberal arts: to educate, empower, and serve.
"We are ensuring that future engineers combine deep technical ability with humanity, curiosity, and the confidence to lead," he said. "Columbus is growing faster than almost any other region in the country, powered by advanced manufacturing. With that growth comes an urgent, unmet need for engineers and creative solutions to workforce challenges. The Conrades School of Engineering addresses this need with bold thinking and a clear vision."
Ensuring Ohio's Economic Future
Jason Hall, CEO of the Columbus Partnership, a CEO-led organization of more than 80 executives committed to strengthening economic opportunity and quality of life across the region, echoed vandenBerg's comments about the need for talented engineers.
"At the Columbus Partnership, one of our core roles is working with companies that are deciding where to invest and grow. We refer to that activity as our economic development pipeline," Hall said. "A few years ago, manufacturing companies that require highly skilled and engineering talent made up about one-third of it. Today, that number has skyrocketed to about 60 percent."
This shift, he said, has resulted in companies asking, "Can you show us the engineers in the Columbus region?"
"That is what stands out about what is happening here at Ohio Wesleyan," Hall said. "A liberal arts university looking at the future of this economy and saying, we are going to be part of shaping it. We are going to take responsibility for how the next generation of problem-solvers is prepared. … We are proud to stand with Ohio Wesleyan and all of the partners who believe in that future."
Industry Alignment From Day One
While building Ohio Wesleyan's School of Engineering, university representatives were in close conversation with industry partners who need well-rounded, liberal arts-trained engineers and building strategic collaborations, vandenBerg said.
Vertiv, the global leader in digital-infrastructure technologies with a location in Delaware, Ohio, will give OWU engineering students priority interview consideration for the company's Central Ohio summer internships.
In addition, Ansys, part of Synopsys – the world's foremost provider of systems-to-silicon engineering solutions – will provide access to Ansys Mechanical™ structural finite analysis software and Ansys Fluent® fluid simulation software, through the Ansys Academic Program.
This level of collaboration is rare for a liberal arts institution creating a new engineering school, reflecting broad confidence in OWU's innovative model, vandenBerg said.
Transformational Alumni Support
In addition to the lead $13 million gift, the Conrades School of Engineering is supported by a $2 million gift from Doug Dittrick Jr., Class of 1955, and his partner, Gina Boesch, and a $2 million gift from alumni couple Gordon Smith, Class of 1954, and Helen Crider Smith, Class of 1956.
"Today I want to salute our faculty whose leadership has helped make our gift possible by endorsing the importance of engineering as part of Ohio Wesleyan's liberal arts curriculum," George Conrades said, crediting two of his mathematics and physics professors for their mentorship.
Professors Robert Wilson and Howard Maxwell steered him toward a career that has included leadership positions with IBM Corporation, Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN), Akamai Technologies, and Oracle Corporation – companies with groundbreaking roles in developing the internet, cloud computing services, and more.
"All this because two beloved Ohio Wesleyan professors cared so much," Conrades said, "just as our professors do to this day. … Under Matt's leadership and with the support of our amazing faculty, more is on the way – innovative curriculum, additional fundraising, valuable partnerships – all as they continue to build on Ohio Wesleyan's reputation as a dynamic and sought-after liberal arts university."
A Distinctive Engineering Model
Ohio Wesleyan's engineering model blends technical ability with the human-centered strengths of the liberal arts and the real-world experiences that prepare graduates to make an immediate impact. Students will experience:
- Mechanical engineering foundations taught through hands-on lab work and real problem-solving.
- Leading-edge simulation tools provided by Ansys, part of Synopsys.
- Internships that expand learning and build confidence.
- Power skills – nine core competencies of the OWU curriculum that stress communication, collaboration, judgment, and adaptability.
- OWU Connection experiences that bring global thinking, interdisciplinary creativity, and purpose-driven experiential learning into the engineering journey.
- A discovery-oriented environment, giving students room to find meaning, direction, and personal agency.
Two complementary minors – Engineering Science and Science & Engineering in the Public Interest – will enhance flexibility and breadth.
Faculty member Brad Trees, Ph.D., states: "Ohio Wesleyan's engineering curriculum will provide a foundation in the principles of mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, materials science, and design, while emphasizing hands-on learning through laboratory work, computational modeling, internships, and capstone design projects that prepare students to address real-world engineering challenges.
"Ohio Wesleyan's liberal arts approach prepares students to build engineering solutions that matter," Trees continued. "They gain the technical depth engineers need – and also the broader perspective that helps them design with clarity, compassion, and imagination."
Students who complete Ohio Wesleyan's four-year mechanical engineering major will earn a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) degree from a program pursuing accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan's new Conrades School of Engineering and mechanical engineering major at owu.edu/engineering. Learn more about enrolling at OWU at owu.edu/admission.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.