History

                 

1925 - 1932 : Dean William J. Miller

• Fall 1928:
  • The Texas Technological College School of Engineering was established in the fall of 1925. It consisted of 313 students and two faculty members, Dean William J. Miller and Professor Edmond Weymond Camp, and all classes were held in the Textile Engineering Building, now known as the Mechanical Engineering Building.
• October 9, 1925:
  • James H. Murdough brought his experience at MIT and in industry to the college as one of the first faculty members.
  • Governor Miriam Ferguson gave the college $125,000 to build a new engineering building.
• 1928:
  • The School of Engineering expanded and opened the West Engineering Building, now the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building.

1932 - 1949 : Dean Otto Vincent Adams

• 1933:
  • Dean Otto Vincent Adams was instrumental in preventing the transfer of the engineering and agriculture program to Texas A&M.
  • Enrollment in engineering grew from 378 to 2,146, with an increase from 19 to 48 in staff.
  • The Engineering Council for Professional Development accredited the civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and textile engineering curricula.
  • Dean Adams made a commitment to help those men whom had to postpone their education to go to war, so they could finish their degrees and find work in the emerging industries.
• 1937:
  • Mechanical , Electrical and Civil Engineering  programs are accredited by ABET ( Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) followed by the other engineering programs  in 1950 to 1998. The last department to get ABET accreditation was Computer Science in 2013

1949 - 1955 : Dean Dysart Edgar Holcomb

• Enrollment in textile engineering diminished as other disciplines increased in popularity.
• Dean Holcomb transferred agricultural engineering studies from the School of Agriculture.

1955 - 1982 : Dean John Ross Bradford

• Dean Bradford set out goals for the school:
  1. Accreditation for all departments,
  2. Development of graduate programs leading to Ph.D.s, and
  3. The establishment of a strong research program.

• 1956:
  • The Engineering Option, which created an engineering physics baccalaureate degree, was transferred from physics to engineering.
• 1958:
  • The School of Engineering received its first computer unit, an IBM 1620. Soon afterward, Texas Tech received two more units on loan from the United States Air Force, along with a research contract from Holloman AFB.
• February 1958:
  • The Institute of Science and Engineering (ISE) was established as a channel where gift funds and fees from research projects could replenish the growing research organization.
  • The ISE provided state funds and money for a water resources study.
  • Dean Bradford created the first interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in in the Southwestern U.S.
  • Bradford's efforts led to an increase in quality faculty, the overhauling of the curricula, and the adoption of the core curriculum for freshmen and sophomores.
• 1959:
  • Chemical engineering and chemistry were separated to enable the accreditation of chemical engineering.
  • A Master of Engineering degree was created.
• 1960:
  • The Department of Petroleum Engineering was accredited.
  • The new chemical engineering building opened.
• 1963:
  • Arnold J. Gully was hired as chair of Chemical Engineering.
• 1966:
  • The Water Resources Center was created.
• 1967:
  • WIN (Western Information Network), conceived by Dean Bradford, was created by the Texas State legislature through House Bill 692. It was a cooperative endeavor among 18 institutions of higher education in West Texas.
• 1969:
  • The International Textile Symposium brought research funding and initiated the Textile Research Center.
  • Arnold J. Gully became the associate dean for research and graduate studies. The college implemented his concept of collaborative research and created the following centers:
    
    • Textile Research Center
    • Institute of Biotechnology
    • Institute for Environmental Technology
    • Institute for Systems Analysis
    • Institute for Energy Research Created
    • Other research endeavors fell under the aegis of the Institute for University Research, which was much broader in scope.
• September 1, 1969:
  • The name of the college was changed from Texas Technological College to Texas Tech University.
• 1970:
  • Engineering Technology was created, which emphasized the application of existing technology.
  • The Institute for Disaster Research was created.
  • The Department of Engineering Analysis and Design was created.
• 1970 - 1972:
  • The administration of the college moved to the old College of Architecture building, which became the Engineering Center.
• Early 1970s:
  • The Pulsed Power Research Center was created for plasma research which began in 1966.

1982 - 1984 : Interim Dean Jimmy H. Smith

1984 - 1994 : Dean Mason Somerville

• 1985:
  • The Texas Tech Research Foundation and its engineering affiliate, the Center for Advanced Research and Engineering were established.

1995 - 1998 : Dean Jorge I. Aunon

1998 - 1999 : Interim Dean Kishor Mehta

1999 - 2002 : Dean William M. Marcy

• 1999 - 2002:
  • National Institute of Engineering Ethics (NIEE) as part of the Murdough Center for
    Engineering Professionalism is created
  • Growth of the Wind Science and Engineering Program under Dr. Kishor Mehta which evolved into the National Wind Institute
  • Establishment of the masters and doctoral programs in the Department of Computer Science
  • Establishment of the National Wind Institute Research Facility at Reese Technology Center
  • Growth of the Online Engineering Distance Learning Program
  • The Department of Electrical Engineering  changed its name to The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

2002 - 2004 : Interim Dean James L. Smith

• 2004:
  • The College of Electrical Engineering had its name changed to The College of Electrical and Computer Engineering

2004 - 2009 : Dean Pamela A. Eibeck

• 2004:
  • Dr. Kishor Mehta is inducted into the National Academy of Engineering
• 2006:
  • The Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathmetics (TSTEM) Center is created
• 2007:
  • The college received $9.35 million from AT&T and the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to attract a world-class nanophotonics research team, which includes Drs. Hongxing Jiang, Jingyu Lin, and Zhaoyang Fan.
• 2008:
  • The College of Engineering is renamed the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering in honor of Ed Whitacre's longstanding support of Texas Tech University.
  • The J. F Maddox Foundation donates $7.5 million in honor of Donovan Maddox.
  • Naming of the Bob L Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering (PE)

2009 - 2010 : Interim Dean Jon C. Strauss

• 2009:
  • The Department of Engineering Technology is renamed the Department of Construction Engineering and Engineering Technology
  • A new Master of Science in Bioengineering is created
  • The process of the Livermore expansion was 2006-2009 (grand opening 3/9/09)

2011 - 2022 : Dean Albert Sacco Jr.

• 2011:
  • Materials Characterization Center is created
  • The Terry Fuller Petroleum Research Building (TFPRB) is completed
  • Creation of the Maddox Engineering Research Center (MERC)
  • The Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering (IMSE) moved into and remodeled the old Petroleum Engineering building (PE)
  • The Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) expansion into old Industrial Engineering (IE) building
  • Center for Nanophotonics is created
• 2012:
  • The Center for Excellence in High Reliability Organizations & Processes (CEHROP) is created
• 2012:
  • Center for Advanced Intelligent Systems was changed to Center for Science and Engineering of Cyber Security
•  2013:
  • The hiring of National Academy of Engineering (NAE) members and Maddox Chairs; Danny Reible and Chau-Chyun Chen
  • Computer Science accredited by ABET ( Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) 
• 2014:
  • Combining The Department of Construction Engineering & Engineering Technology (CEET) with The Department of Civil Engineering (CE) to get The Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering (CECE)
•  2016:
  • Name change of Department of Industrial Engineering (IE) to the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering (IMSE)
  • The hiring of National Academy of Engineering (NAE) member: Satya N. Atluri, D.Sc (multi honoris causa)
• 2019:
  • COVID-19 Relief consortim was formed to fight the pandemic by ensuring mask effectiveness, producing testing supplies, building ventilator parts and making better tests. The consortium provided support by building capacity of 3D print masks, face shields, and ventilator valves, design transfer ventilators, aerosol chambers and masks, and explored efficient methods for medical equipment decontamination in the midst of limited resources.
• 2020:
  • WCOE able to provide uninterupted classes during COVID-19 pandemic via online instruction

2022 - Present: Interim Dean Stephen Bayne

• 2022:
  • WCOE Career Fair sets record for largest participation by companies
  • NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) Grant  to form a Historic Partnership for Fertilizer Production. The Center for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Production is a collaborative effort between the National Science Foundation and five institutions of higher learning.