Forging the World

Written by Cindy Bevington

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Naugle's work as an intern, which earned her a job offer from OmniSource when she graduated, is indicative of the type of students the industry has come to expect from Tri-State, says Ben Eisbart, executive vice president for administration at OmniSource. "Whether it be as interns or full-time employees, OmniSource has been pleased with the caliber of candidate provided by Tri-State University," he says. "In addition to being well prepared, their work ethic and dedication to our company soon become evident."

Naugle, now a metallurgical/quality engineer for OmniSource, credits her TSU education for laying the foundation for her success.

"Tri-State is widely recognized in the industry as having a very strong technical and hands-on metal casting program, and when I say I graduated from Tri-State, it's like people assume automatically that I know what I'm talking about," she says. "More importantly, rather than just the recognition and respect you get after you graduate, it's also the attention you get from the professors at Tri-State that's so important, especially if you aren't sure what you're going to do."

Naugle, herself, hadn't decided what she wanted to do with her degree until she was introduced to molten metals in her sophomore year at TSU.

"And then I knew it was the metal casting industry that I wanted to go into. We went on a field trip to a Coldwater (Michigan) foundry and I saw metal poured for ductile iron. It was the first time I ever saw a magnesium flash. The trip was good in that I could see what a future job could be and how it could apply to your life-that's what got me interested in metal casting."

TSU President Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., was the keynote speaker at the CIC (College Industry Conference) awards breakfast in November 2004.

Because Tri-State prides itself in offering hands-on experiences that include field trips like this as well as real-world laboratory experiences, the University has a reputation that not only is known among the cast metals industry, but in all fields of engineering, says Dr. David Finley, TSU vice president for academic affairs and dean of the Allen School of Engineering & Technology. The school's reputation for producing quality cast metals graduates extends throughout the nation, and reflects positively on all Tri-State students, he adds.

"Our cast metals program is, perhaps, our brightest star and what we're best known for," he says. "In fact, I was in California recently and someone came up to me and said, 'Tri-State-you're the place with that awesome foundry on campus.' With the support of a phenomenal industrial advisory board, we have built the top undergraduate cast metals program in the country."

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