Veteran students in engineering leadership roles

Abstract

There has been a growing emphasis on producing engineers that are technically proficient while having many professional skills such as organization, time management, communication, and leadership. Service academies and senior military colleges require a highly structured leadership curriculum and formal experience for all their cadet students. However, many veterans are not required to participate and cannot experience the leadership sequence at military colleges. Unless they are a cadet or midshipman, they simply are not allowed to register for these courses nor can they hold leadership positions in the cadet ranks. However, veteran students are well suited to assume leadership roles and responsibilities in and out of the classroom. Their military experience often fosters growth of these soft skills and make them effective and admired leaders, even at a military college where their academic peers have experienced a more structured and recent leadership curriculum. Faculty and traditional students at civilian or military colleges can benefit from these qualities if they are aware of their skills and experiences. The classroom experience and extracurricular activities can be enriched through these non-traditional students. This paper discusses some of the professional skills recognized in veterans. It then provides examples of veterans in leadership roles in three different programs and activities. One experience will be a project leader in the ASCE concrete canoe, another is the role of veteran leaders in a senior design project in electrical engineering. Finally, the last experience describes the veterans assuming leadership roles in the student chapter of ASME. Based upon the feedback and peer assessments, these veterans played significant roles in their organizations' and teams' activities and eventual success.