SIAM - SIUE School of Engineering

he area’s industrial manufacturing climate will be enhanced through the combined activities of Lewis and Clark Community College and SIUE with relocation of the Southwest Illinois Advanced Manufacturing research and education program initiated at the N.O. Nelson facility, formerly the Wagner Complex in Edwardsville’s historic LeClaire neighborhoo

Announcing the agreement between SIUE and LCCC are, from left: SIUE Engineering Dean Paul Seaburg, SIUE Chancellor David Werner, LCCC President Dale Chapman, Assistant Professor Kevin Hubbard, of SIUE’s Mechanical and Industrial Engineering faculty, Mary Hales, dean of Applied Technology and Business at LCCC, and Linda Chapman, vice president of Academic Affairs and Liberal Arts atb LCCC.
(SIUE Photo)

An agreement was signed July 1 between SIUE’s School of Engineering and Lewis and Clark to formalize involvement of both institutions to develop enhanced manufacturing education programs and the Southwest Illinois Advanced Manufacturing (SIAM) Initiative.

With location of SIAM in the Nelson Complex, the region’s industrial development history will be brought full circle, as manufacturing activities and research will be placed in the same location as the area’s first established industrial site.

Lewis and Clark Dean of Applied Technology and Business Mary Hales said the new partnership, along with the College’s previous partnership with the Edwardsville School District, will lead to a 2+2+2 curriculum. “Students may enter this engineering program at the high school level,” Hales said, “continue through an intermediate Associate of Applied Science program at Lewis and Clark, and matriculate directly into the BS Manufacturing Engineering program at SIUE. Students may alternatively exit the program after attaining the A.A.S. degree, qualified to contribute to the economic growth of the St. Louis and Southwestern Illinois regions.

“We are extremely thankful to Rep. Jay Hoffman, who has helped the College secure funds for the renovation of the historic N.O. Nelson complex,” Lewis and Clark President Dale Chapman said. “His strong commitment to education has laid the groundwork for this very important partnership between Lewis and Clark and SIUE, which will surely have a strong economic impact on this area through the advancement of manufacturing.”

SIUE Chancellor David Werner said the partnership between the college and the university will have positive effects on the metro area. “This collaborative project with Lewis and Clark Community College will help assure a strong manufacturing base in Southwestern Illinois in the age of high technology,” Werner said.