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Journal ALUMNI & CAMPUS NEWS > ONE-ON-ONE Bob Chase (middle) discusses a project in the newly-renovated Brown Petroleum Building with students Brad Maddox ’06 and Shan Shan Yang ’06. > PETROLEUM ENGINEERING Changing with the times HIGHER PRICES RESULT IN GREATER DEMAND FOR MC GRADUATES When Dr. Bob Chase arrived on campus to become the director of the petroleum engineering program at Marietta College in 1978, the industry was booming. It was a trend that lasted only until the mid-1980s when the U.S petroleum industry nearly collapsed, eliminating many job opportunities. Now the industry is rebounding with new explorations underway and new fuel solutions being discussed. Marietta College’s Petroleum Engineering Department weathered the downturn and today is the ninth largest petroleum engineering program in the U.S. and the only one at a liberal arts college. In light of recent political and economic changes, as well as prices soaring at the tank, Marietta magazine writer Evelyn Frolking asked him a few questions. MM: How have the industry and the program at MC changed since you arrived in 1978? CHASE: The boom in the ’80s triggered a series of mergers in the petroleum industry that changed the landscape of the industry and it is still going on. Today’s big oil companies like Chevron, Texaco, Exxon, etc. have been replaced on campus by the large aggressive independents like Anadarko, EnCana, Chesapeake Energy, and Cabot Oil & Gas. These companies are actually a great fit for our students because our program is focused on turning out graduates who can walk out our door and into a company where they can begin immediately making a contribution to the bottom line. Even though our enrollment had its ups and downs in the 1990s, we never lost our focus on what our graduates need to succeed in the petroleum industry: a strong background in petroleum engineering, good communication skills that are strengthened through the liberal arts, and a practical understanding of what petroleum engineers do in the industry through our strong summer internship program. For the last 15 years or so, we consistently ranked among the top 10 petroleum engineering schools in terms of undergraduate enrollment and probably among the top five in terms of percentage of U.S. students enrolled. BILLY HOWARD MM: Given the Middle East issues, I’m wondering if they have any relevance to your program. CHASE: The political upheaval in the Middle East continues to grow. Much of that upheaval surrounds oil. What effect, if any, does this have on the demand for MC graduates? The upheaval in the Mid-East creates tension in the markets that certainly puts pressure on oil prices. Higher oil prices always result in a greater demand for our graduates. 8 < A U T U M N 2 0 0 6
ABOUT THE PROGRAM > Students have internships each summer after their freshman year. > 100 percent of graduates since 1992 have been placed in jobs immediately after leaving Marietta College. > Marietta has the only petroleum engineering department at a liberal arts institution and the ninth largest in the country. MM: What aspects of the petroleum industry do Marietta students study? CHASE: Marietta College petroleum engineering majors get a well-rounded background in the three primary areas that comprise the discipline: drilling engineering, production engineering and reservoir engineering. They also benefit from the fact that the program is located in the heart of the Appalachian petroleum industry. Our students usually obtain summer jobs in the industry beginning in their freshman year, thus enhancing what they learn in the classroom. MM: In light of turmoil over oil supplies and increasing demand for gasoline worldwide, is the program doing anything different to prepare its engineers? CHASE: We adhere to our core objectives and we encourage our students to work in the petroleum industry in the summer after completing their freshmen year and every year thereafter. Our graduates are in high demand because we don’t waiver from these core objectives. MM: Has the curriculum expanded to include other fossil fuels, such as the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, and new energy sources, such as biofuels? CHASE: Tar sands fall in the category of heavy oils, which we do study in our enhanced oil recovery class. Biofuels are not currently part of the curriculum, again because we are focused primarily on producing oil and gas from rock formations deep in the earth…the primary job of a petroleum engineer. MM: What makes the petroleum engineering program at Marietta unique in comparison to similar programs in larger schools like Texas and Texas A&M? CHASE: MC petroleum engineering class sizes typically range between 15 and 30 students; class sizes at large state schools are typically much larger. MC does a better job turning the average student into a good student thanks to the personal attention they get from our faculty. On the other hand, big schools tend to have better laboratory facilities because of their stronger research programs. MM: How have the nationalities of students studying in the program changed over time, especially since major explorations and extractions are outside the U.S.? CHASE: We have had students from countries all over the world graduate from our program. Currently we have students from China, Africa and the Middle East studying with us. International students make up less than 10 percent of our student body in petroleum engineering, however. MM: What benefits does a liberal arts curriculum bring to students? CHASE: I could sum it up best in two words – communication skills. Students really do enhance their written and oral communication skills by virtue of taking a strong liberal arts general education curriculum. They also learn that there is more to life than just engineering. I think the faculty in our department model that also…everyone has interests outside of engineering and we share our interests and hobbies with them. > ACADEMICS A convenient class ONLINE COURSES OFFER SUMMER CREDITS For non-traditional student Johan Stödberg, the independence and flexibility of taking on-line courses during the summer couldn’t be a better fit. Stödberg, a Marietta resident who moved from Sweden nine years ago, is married and works full time. His ongoing interest to better himself attracted him to the College’s summer on-line courses. “It’s a different way to learn,” he says. “I like it.” Marietta offers nine introductory level courses in 13 sections only during the summer, allowing both traditional and non-traditional students like Stödberg to further their education by fitting in coursework before fall semester. Enrolled students access the College’s WebCT, an international e-learning system that connects people and technology. Through the connection to their MC professor, participants earned college credit on their own schedules. Eighty percent of the 110 registered students completed their courses. “Students can reap the benefits of courses without being here,” explains Laura Little, instructional technologist for the on-line course program, now in its third year. “We started out small with just four courses.” This summer’s course selections included non-lab science courses, such as environmental biology and chemistry, as well as courses in history, psychology, economics, sports medicine and others. Class sizes are capped at 15-20 to maintain personal attention, Little adds. While popular with both students and faculty, the on-line program is not a degree-granting program. “We thought about it for specialty areas, but we’ve decided for now that what we want to do is have this as an enhancement to open the campus,” Little says. “This is focused on the Marietta College community.” Stödberg completed his courses this summer in psychology and history as a student in continuing studies. His psychology class, for example, included readings, weekly e-journal entries, quizzes and tests. “It worked out well,” he says. “I liked the professors and the on-line discussions.” All instructors in the program are regular faculty members of the College. “Faculty like the program,” Little says. “They appreciate the extra pay and can conduct the class from anywhere in the world.” Participating faculty attend orientation sessions with Little to review the technology, discuss methods of concentrating instruction and trouble shoot potential problems. For both students and teachers, Little says motivation is key. “The course expectations are high and we don’t recommend on-line courses as remedial work or for re-taking a course unless the student has a high motivation factor,” she says. “The courses aren’t easy,” Stödberg adds. “You have to put in the work to pass.” EVELYN FROLKING M A R I E T TA > 9
Page 1 and 2: Autumn 2006 The Magazine of Mariett
Page 3 and 4: Transitions “The changes to Marie
Page 5 and 6: Autumn 2006 | Premiere Issue The Ma
Page 7 and 8: STUDENTS MAKE THE BIG MOVE The stud
Page 9: GLOBAL LEARNING Russian excursion p
Page 13 and 14: A Marietta Moment D E F I N I N G M
Page 15 and 16: T H E C H A N G I N G OF MARIETTA C
Page 17 and 18: B R A Z I L L AT I N A M E R I C A
Page 19 and 20: C H I NA T H E C H I N A I N S T I
Page 21 and 22: B Y K AT E M A N E C K E UELED BY W
Page 23 and 24: NEW LIBRARY For more information, v
Page 25 and 26: Tribe or return to Marietta for his
Page 27 and 28: MITCH CASEY PIONEER ROUNDUP > WOMEN
Page 29 and 30: “AUNT BEA” INSPIRES KREMER FAMI
Page 31 and 32: THE LONG BLUE LINE > CLASS NOTES 19
Page 33 and 34: THE LONG BLUE LINE > CLASS NOTES 19
Page 35 and 36: Giving back offers benefits M A R I

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