The School of Engineering has a new department

The Citadel’s new Department of Engineering Leadership and Program Management will be commissioned in a ceremony Friday evening on The Citadel campus.  The department was officially established Jan. 1, 2013.

Col. Charles O. Skipper, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), has been appointed head of the new department.  Skipper, who graduated from The Citadel in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, holds a doctorate in civil engineering from Clemson University where his dissertation focused on engineering leadership.  He has experience in military and civilian leadership and management as a registered professional engineer and project management professional.

The new department was created to support graduate student programs in the School of Engineering, but plans are underway to expand the department’s mission to include related undergraduate programs.

“Engineering has been a part of The Citadel curriculum since the first cadets reported 170 years ago,” said Col. Ron Welch, dean of the School of Engineering. “And we are proud that our nationally recognized program continues to grow and contribute to the Lowcountry.”

Development of the courses for the new department began in 2005, and in 2010 the project management master’s degree was established.  More than 30 students have graduated from the program in the last two years.