Dayton Business Journal...
Wright State University hits milestone
Monday, September 26, 2011 

Wright State University will celebrate a milestone this week: In a little more than a decade, its College of Engineering and Computer Science Ph.D. in Engineering Program has graduated 100 students with doctorates. 

The graduates have continued to hold jobs in Ohio and locally at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base    . Of the 100 Ph.D. earners, 50 percent work in the state and 30 percent have defense-related jobs within the Air Force Research Laboratory. 

“It was hard to imagine a strong engineering program without a strong graduate program, especially sitting next to a world-renowned research organization such as AFRL,” said James Brandeberry, founding dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “The business community also made a strong case to the governor about the need for engineers with advanced training to support the region’s economic development.” 

Moreover, the program has attracted homegrown talent. Wright State has awarded more than 50 percent of its engineering doctorate degrees to U.S. citizens, said Program Director Ramana Grandhi. 

Garrison Walters, former vice-chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents and current executive director of the South Carolina Education Commission, was integral to the creation of the program that currently has 125 students. 

In 2010, the National Research Council rated the Wright State program No. 16 of 31 doctoral programs in the discipline. Also, the Carnegie Foundation    has rated WSU as a high-research activity university. 

Wright State is the third largest university in the Dayton region. 

Read it at the Dayton Business Journal