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History of the Development of Engineering Economic Representation within A.S.E.E Abstract

The development of the Engineering Economy Division of A.S.E.E. was an outgrowth of the technical progress of the field of engineering economics beginning in 1877 with the publications of Arthur M. Wellington. As these new methodologies were formed, a few engineering faculty began to realize that this material should be an integral part of the engineering curriculum. This paper traces the formation in 1942 of the Industrial Engineering Division in the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education (S.P.E.E., the forerunner of A.S.E.E.) and how these members played a critical role in the 1956 formation of the Engineering Economy Division for the Society. Particular focus will include certain individuals and events that had a significant influence on the formation of the initial Committees and ultimately the Divisions of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Economy within this Society.

The Early Development

To understand the movement within the engineering discipline that eventually leads to the acceptance of engineering economics as an important component and a separately identifiable division of A.S.E.E. requires an examination of history. The original organization of engineering educators began as S.P.E.E. in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. It was an outgrowth of meetings of Division E of the World Engineering Congress that was part of this activity. There were 70 original members of this group, and 14 of them eventually became President of the Society. Dues were $3.50 per year and one could become a Life Member for $50 in 1910.

Early members had to be proposed by two members who knew the candidate and then the proposed member had to be elected by the Council (S.P.E.E.'s governing body) by at least three-quarters support. Members of the Council had 3 year terms with one-third of the Council being retired each year. By 1910 there were 121 colleges teaching engineering and 938 members of S.P.E.E. consisting of 767 teachers and 171 practitioners1.

The Journal of Engineering Education began in 1910 and much of the information for this paper was obtained from this source. Since this journal was the S.P.E.E.'s means of communicating to its members and the Society was encouraging growth, this journal not only published papers regarding teaching of engineering but also presented a listing of its members each year. The information about each member included their university affiliation, when they joined the Society, their academic rank and their address. This service enabled members to communicate directly. From this source it was interesting to note that Andrew Carnegie joined the organization in 1911 as a Life Member2. A letter was written to S.P.E.E. by Carnegie about the Carnegie Technical Schools and their involvement in the Society3.

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Thuesen, G. (2007, June), History Of The Development Of Engineering Economic Representation Within Asee Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--1639