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The
Secret Up North
Ninety
miles north of Sacramento lies the beautiful town of
Chico which boasts a small town atmosphere with big
city flavor. This is the home of California State University,
Chico: one of the best kept secrets up north. Always
rated as a premier college town, the campus is home
to one of the best Engineering programs in the West
with exceptional support to assist students.
The
Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) Engineering
Program at CSU, Chico has a reputation in California
for providing exceptional support to recruit and retain
under-represented and disadvantaged students in the
fields of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology.
"We are a tough school to beat when it comes to providing
resources for our MEP students," states MEP director
Paul Villegas. "The administration is very supportive
of efforts and our campus is dedicated to serving students."
When you look at the variety of services the MEP program
offers it's students they are tough to beat. Here is
a list of some of the services they offer students:
Housing
- On and off campus housing is available for MEP students.
There is a cluster of apartments off campus for engineering
majors, which offers a swimming pool, BBQ pit and computer
lab.
Study Center - MEP students have access to a
well-equipped student center which includes state-of-the-art
computer equipment, private study rooms and lockers.
The study center is conveniently located on the first
floor of the engineering building.
Counseling/Academic Support - With a professional
staff of six personnel in the MEP Center, there is a
lot of personal attention given to students. Any MEP
student who needs help will be given a tutor and academic
workshops exist for every critical course. Students
are tracked academically to assure they are progressing
in their major.
Scholarship
Support and Quality Programs - Over $150,000 in
scholarship money was given to support MESA students
in the 2000-2001 academic year. The program was recently
funded an additional $250,000 in scholarships for economically
disadvantaged students pursuing technical degrees. Many
students receive some type of scholarship support from
the program.
"Chico
is a very reasonable place to go to school," says Villegas,
"yet we pride ourselves on helping our students financially
to limit their debt when they graduate. Since Chico
is a quality Engineering Institute we receive lots of
equipment and many donate to our campus."
Some
of the recent donors include:
- National Science Foundation
"We have received around four million dollars in equipment
and support this past year," states Ken Derucher, Dean
of College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology.
"Companies would not give to us unless we provide a
quality product."
Some
of the highlights of our program include:
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Engineer in Training Exam - Chico State students are
5 points higher than the State average.
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One of the top 3 schools for first-time hires with
Hewett-Packard.
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One of the top 10 hires with IBM.
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National Bridge Building Competition - National Champion
in 2000; Western Regional Champion 5 years in a row.
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Set the new regional record for the Micro Mouse Competition
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National Super Mileage Vehicle Champion in 2001
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Computer Graphics - Best of Show 3 out of the last
5 years in a Statewide Competition.
-
First accredited Mechatronics Academic Program in
the United States
All
of this support and quality education translates into
job opportunities for our students.
Many
of our students get placed with internships within the
first two years of college. Top Employers include: Agilent
Technologies, California Department of Transportation,
Chevron, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, NUMMI.
A
quality affordable technical education awaits students
who discover the California State University, Chico.
Yes,
California State University, Chico is a nice kept secret
up North. This article has only scratched the surface,
with the abundance of activities that are available.
For more information check out the web page at http://www.csuchico.edu/MESA.
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