DMN: SMU Re-Names School of Engineering

[MrMustang1965]

Southern Methodist University will rename its School of Engineering after prominent Dallas oilman Bobby Lyle at a ceremony today.

Mr. Lyle and the university declined to reveal how much the former head of Lyco Energy Corp. gave to have the school renamed the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering. But Mr. Lyle, an SMU alumnus and current trustee, said the amount was similar to other donations the university has received for naming rights.

Last year, a $20 million gift from Harold and Annette Simmons put Mrs. Simmons' name on SMU's new School of Education and Human Development and funded other initiatives for the education school.

Mr. Lyle's donation will go toward a slate of new programs, most notably a partnership with defense contractor Lockheed Martin. SMU's Caruth Hall will be home to a new Skunk Works lab, modeled after the Lockheed facility in California that is responsible for the creation of many U.S. military aircraft. It will be the first such lab at a U.S. university.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... bc78d.html

[ThadFilms]

Sweet.

My dad told me to be on the look out for this news today.



I can't believe we're getting a Skunk Works lab, that is awesome. I don't need the article to tell me what kind of credibility that brings.

[couch 'em]

I don't like how the school is being controlled by basically a business guy, instead of an engineer. I admire the guy for putting up the bucks, but SMU graduates are missing out on important engineering classes by having to take the "engineering leadership" classes they are requiring. That, combined with their "gender parity" and other initiatives, leads me to believe the engineering school has chosen to give up on focusing on real engineering and instead shift toward becoming an "engineering management" school.

[Dooby]

I don't like how the school is being controlled by basically a business guy, instead of an engineer. I admire the guy for putting up the bucks, but SMU graduates are missing out on important engineering classes by having to take the "engineering leadership" classes they are requiring. That, combined with their "gender parity" and other initiatives, leads me to believe the engineering school has chosen to give up on focusing on real engineering and instead shift toward becoming an "engineering management" school.

Not much use for trains anyway.

[smu diamond m]

I think you are being cynical and overlooking the truth of the matter: Lyle is moving to position itself to be a major force in the education of engineers capable of leading in a globalized economy.

http://lyle.smu.edu

[smupony94]

I work with civil engineers on a daily basis and less than 30% have people skills or know how to manage 2-3 PE's or EIT's under them.

My good friend is a civil engineer and is not the best out there but he is rising through the ranks as he knows how to communicate with clients and can manage his teams who are in Texas/Canada and Taiwan.

[couch 'em]

I think you are being cynical and overlooking the truth of the matter: Lyle is moving to position itself to be a major force in the education of engineers capable of leading in a globalized economy.

http://lyle.smu.edu

I am being cynical, and yes I acknowledge that there are TONS AND TONS of engineers who can't manage person 1, much less communicate with anything, but I think it is good to be skeptical about reducing the amount of engineering knowledge that you impart to engineers. I have a hard time beliving a few classes on communication or management is going to change someone's fundamental personality to make them into a good leader or manager. The classes I had to take in this relm were more or less useless. Meanwhile, I got through SMU with an engineering degree without taking a lot of engineering classes that people at UTD, UTA, A&M, and others did take. Maybe it will attract more of those type of people rather than nerdish socially awkward people or foreigners. I know SMU already does that by its nature.

I just want to see actual results, not just a flashy website or a bunch of rhetoric before I get behind it. But don't get me wrong - I am happy that the engineering school is takign advantage of the business acumen floating around SMU.

[PK]

I don't like how the school is being controlled by basically a business guy, instead of an engineer. I admire the guy for putting up the bucks, but SMU graduates are missing out on important engineering classes by having to take the "engineering leadership" classes they are requiring. That, combined with their "gender parity" and other initiatives, leads me to believe the engineering school has chosen to give up on focusing on real engineering and instead shift toward becoming an "engineering management" school.

Dr Lyle is not just a business guy, He has been involved with SMU for over 40 years and his SMU degree is an engineering degree.

[color=blue]“The vision and plan for the Lyle School of Engineering calls for the development of activist engineers with deep technical skills who are committed to solving large-scale challenges that expand our economy and address the pressing needs of the world’s communities,â€

[jtstang]

I think they ought to call the the jtstang/PK Engineering School. We are the two most famous graduates on ponyfans.com, which ought to be the criteria for all future naming of SMU things.

It was SEAS when I was there. Does no one believe in Applied Science anymore? Or know what it is?

[jkflamebo]

at least we finally got a name, was pretty lame just to be the smu school of engineering

[smupony94]

I think they ought to call the the jtstang/PK Engineering School. We are the two most famous graduates on ponyfans.com, which ought to be the criteria for all future naming of SMU things.

It was SEAS when I was there. Does no one believe in Applied Science anymore? Or know what it is?

I took a class there which pretty much consisted of building the game Operation and then not killing your patient. I am a sick bastard and killed my patient.

[MrMustang1965]

I am a sick bastard and killed my patient.

Intentionally?

[smupony94]

I am a sick bastard and killed my patient.

Intentionally?

I was hanging out with raplh too much then and I was legally impaired.

[couch 'em]

Dr Lyle is not just a business guy, He has been involved with SMU for over 40 years and his SMU degree is an engineering degree.

I'm not trying to belittle his contribution or devotion to SMU, nor his qualifications. I had heard of him in the context of Cox, didn't realize he had this much background in industry related to engineering. Here's the rest of his background for those that didn't get the email that just came through. Interesting that he has apparently been one of the top money donators at SMU but you don't see his name all over everything.

Dr. Bobby B. Lyle has excelled in diverse fields as an engineer, corporate executive, entrepreneur, civic leader, professor and academic administrator. He established Lyco Energy Corporation in 1981 and has been a leader in the petroleum and natural gas industry for more than 25 years, conducting exploration throughout the country. Most notably, in 2000, he initiated drilling in the Bakken Dolomite Formation in Richland County, Montana, that resulted in the discovery of what experts describe as the largest oil field developed in the United States in the past decade. Lyle sold Lyco Energy in 2005 and established Lyco Holdings Inc., a private investment firm. He also is a director of Hiland Resources, a NYSE midstream energy company headquartered in Enid, Oklahoma.

Over his professional career, Lyle has helped found a number of private companies and joint ventures and was instrumental in development of the Dallas Galleria and the InterFirst Bank-Galleria. His civic activities have included leadership roles with SMU, the Boy Scouts of America, National and Dallas Advisory Boards of The Salvation Army, Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, Texas Trees Foundation, Center for Nonprofit Management, Trinity Trust Foundation, Kindness Foundation and Dallas Assembly Foundation.

Dr. Lyle has strong SMU ties with both the School of Engineering and the Cox School of Business. He earned a Master of Science degree in Engineering Administration at SMU in 1967 and received a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, with a concentration on strategic planning and leadership in higher education. From 1967-75, he was a professor and administrator in SMU's Business School. He served as dean ad interim from 1971-73 and as executive dean from 1973-75.

In addition to the Executive Board of the School of Engineering, Dr. Lyle serves on the Executive Board of the Cox School of Business and as a trustee of the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man in SMU's Dedman College. He is vice chair of the Maguire Energy Institute in the Cox School and of the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility. He is co-founder and current chair of the Associates Board in the Cox School and serves on the board of the SMU Hart Global Leaders Forum. He received the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award in 1995 and in 2006 was named to the School of Engineering Hall of Leaders.

Dr. Lyle is convening co-chair of the Engineering Steering Committee for "SMU Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign," launched in September 2008 with a goal of $750 million. Along with Engineering Committee co-chair Karen Shuford, Lyle will work with the committee to help attract financial and non-financial resources to achieve the school's aspirations.

Lyle's financial contributions to the engineering school during the 2006-08 quiet phase of the campaign have exceeded $5 million, funding such critical initiatives as strategic planning and providing support toward construction of the J. Lindsay Embrey Engineering Building and Caruth Hall. In 2008 Dr. Lyle pledged significant additional support toward the school's new initiatives. His total gifts and pledges represent the largest commitment from an individual or institution in the history of the engineering school and will support innovative new programs, student scholarships, graduate fellowships and faculty research and teaching.

Reflecting his dual areas of expertise, Lyle through the years has also provided support for the Cox School of Business, funding an endowed professorship, an endowed M.B.A. scholarship and faculty innovation awards, and contributing to construction of the James M. Collins Executive Education Center of the Cox School.

Dr. Bobby B. Lyle's total giving to SMU places him among the top donors in the University's history.

"Bobby Lyle's commitment to creating the new American engineer right here at SMU is simply remarkable. His challenge to all of us to look beyond the conventional to find answers that will lead this nation and institution forward will forever stand as his greatest legacy at SMU," said Dean Orsak.

"This is a momentous day for SMU," said Carl Sewell, chair of SMU's Board of Trustees and a co-chair of The Second Century Campaign. "The implementation of the Lyle School's new strategic plan will result in significant increases in our global impact and academic quality and will enhance our ability to attract the best students from around the world. With the school's focused vision and distinguished new name, its new initiatives and the generosity of Dr. Lyle, SMU engineering will be a magnet for greater numbers of talented students. They will make engineering a key resource for the advancement of society."

[Alaric]

maybe they can get the Calatrava bridges to work