History

Industrial technology courses have been offered at Ohio University since 1904, when George McLaughlin, a 1901 electrical engineering graduate, began teaching woodworking as part of the “manual training” prioritized by the administration at the time. These applied technical courses, as well as Machine Shop and Mechanical Drawing, were transferred to a new Manual Training Department within a few years, which became the Industrial Education Department in 1920.

With the growth of the industry in the early 20th century, demand for technical training grew, leading Ohio University to build Super Hall to house the department with the engineering disciplines. In 1935, the renamed Department of Industrial Arts formally became a program in the College of Applied Science when the university was re-organized by President Herman James.

A shift in focus from teacher education to training for industry in the post-war years led to the development of the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology (BSIT) degree program, the first of which was awarded in 1956. The college has since been renamed in honor of Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ and the department and its lab facilities relocated to Stocker Center. In 2010 the program name was changed to Engineering Technology and Management (ETM) to better represent the degree and the careers being pursued by our graduates. The department’s B.S. degree program has been fully accredited by The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering since 1979. Since 2014, the department has been led by Professor Todd Myers.

We also offer a more detailed history of industrial technology [PDF] at Ohio University.