To help fund future MTSU student projects, the first Engineering Technology Golf Classic will be held Friday, Aug. 17, at Champions Run Golf Course, located at 14262 Mount Pleasant Rd., in Rockvale, Tenn.

The event has a 1 p.m. shotgun start. A light lunch will be served starting at noon.

MTSU’s Department of Engineering Technology, which is organizing the event, is seeking teams, individual players and hole sponsors. The registration and entry fee deadline was Aug. 1.

“The funds will establish a student project foundation account which will help fund student projects,” said department chair Dr. Walter Boles, who also is an avid golfer. “Student project efforts are always short of funds. We hope this effort will supplement funding solicited from other sources.”

Boles said a department committee will accept requests for funds from student project teams and decide how to distribute them.

“The first priority is for team projects,” Boles said. “We will consider senior projects as well, if funding is available. Projects such as the mini Baja, solar boat, construction-management competition and NASA robotics contest, among others, are eligible for proposals.”

Most of the student projects are national competitions against the best engineering and engineering-technology programs in the nation, Boles said.

“Potential employers like to see resumes of students who have participated in these projects,” he said. “They not only have the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom, they have practical experience working in teams, which may involve leadership, open-ended design problems, schedule and budget constraints and solving a multitude of technical problems.”

The projects typically are expensive, Boles added, citing costs for travel, hardware, software, supplies and more.

Because of a shortage in skilled labor, there’s now a great demand for MTSU engineering-technology graduates to meet industry needs.

“Across the United States and globally, there’s an issue of not having enough skilled people at all levels in industrial and manufacturing jobs,” said Jimmy Davis, owner of The Davis Groupe in Murfreesboro. “Companies like Nissan and Bridgestone recognize that, and they’re partnering with technology centers, MTSU’s engineering-technology program and others.”

Sponsorships include $2,000 platinum, $1,000 gold and $500 silver. Each category has its own perks. The individual golfer’s entry fee is $125.

Boles added that anyone willing to donate door prizes, goody-bag items or sponsor lunch or hors d’oeuvres during the awards would be welcomed.

Davis, who serves as chair of the Engineering Technology Industrial Advisory Committee, is helping coordinate the event along with Tabitha Foote, marketing/event director at Champions Run Golf Course.

For more information about the department, visit www.mtsu.edu/et, or call 615-898-2776 to learn more about the tournament.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)