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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (May 14, 2015) – Milligan College has appointed Dr. Greg Harrell as director for the college’s new engineering program scheduled to launch in fall 2016.
For the past two years, Harrell has served as the college’s lead technical consultant to develop the four-year engineering program, which will offer two majors, mechanical and electrical engineering, on Milligan’s campus. His wife, Hongyou Lu, will join Milligan as an engineering program development associate, primarily focusing on accreditation. She also will teach Mandarin Chinese this fall.
“We are excited to welcome Greg and his wife, Hongyou, with open arms to the Milligan community,” said Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer. “They both have a love for Milligan and our mission and understand the importance of offering engineering within the context of the Christian liberal arts.”
Dr. Greg Harrell has taught at Virginia Tech, the University of Tennessee, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He previously served as a design engineer and utilities process engineer for BASF Corporation and currently is a senior associate with Energy Management Services, where he has conducted energy assessments and training for industrial clients on six continents in 28 countries and 39 U.S. states, in addition to work for the U.S. Department of Energy and the United Nations. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering-thermodynamics from Virginia Tech. He is a member of Jefferson City Christian Church in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
Lu holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and international relations from Peking University in Beijing, China, and a Master of Arts in East Asian studies from Stanford University. She completed two additional master’s degrees at the University of California, Berkeley, one in public policy and the other in energy and resources. Most recently, Lu worked as a senior research associate for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
According to Greer, there has been significant corporate interest in Milligan’s engineering program, the region’s first and only mechanical and electrical engineering degrees. TPI Corp in Gray, Tennessee, provided funding for a new electrical engineering laboratory, and several other companies are interested in providing co-op, employment and scholarship opportunities. The program also received several large gifts, including two separate $1 million dollar donations, laying the groundwork for its launch.
Milligan will seek accreditation for the engineering program from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Accordingly, the program has been designed to meet their accreditation standards. The college will enter the accreditation process as students reach the appropriate milestones, as required by ABET. More information on ABET accreditation can be found on the ABET web site at www.abet.org.
To learn more about Milligan’s new engineering majors scheduled for fall 2016, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, visit www.milligan.edu/engineering.