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University of South Alabama Dean WASHINGTON (23 January 2004) — Dr. John W. Steadman, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of South Alabama, became president of IEEE-USA on New Year's Day. Steadman served as the organization's president-elect in 2003. Steadman began his one-year term concerned about the continuing transfer of engineering and other high-tech jobs overseas (offshoring), and its impact not only on U.S. IEEE members, but also on U.S. national security and economic growth. IEEE-USA is in the process of developing a formal offshoring position statement that will include public-policy recommendations. "The problem facing the United States is not how to stop offshoring, but how to ensure that the nation remains a technology leader in the face of strong international competition fueled by offshoring American technology and intellectual property," Steadman said. "To do that, the U.S. government needs an innovative strategy that makes it advantageous for industry to create and retain high-wage, high-value-added manufacturing and service-sector jobs here." See www.ieeeusa.org/forum/issues/H1bvisa/steadmanq&a04.html for more on Steadman's views on offshoring. Before joining South Alabama in August 2003, Steadman served as head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wyoming since 1989. He had worked at the university in various capacities, including faculty member and associate dean of engineering, for 32 years. Steadman also worked for General Dynamics in San Diego, and served as a distinguished visiting professor at the United States Air Force Academy. A licensed professional engineer, Steadman was appointed to the Engineering Registration Board in Wyoming and served 16 years for three Wyoming governors. He chaired several committees in the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), and was president in 1993-94. His awards include the IEEE-USA Citation of Honor, the NCEES Distinguished Service Award and the AT&T Award for Excellence in Teaching. Steadman, a native of Cody, Wyo., received his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wyoming, and his doctorate from Colorado State University. He has served as chair of IEEE-USA's Licensure and Registration Committee and is a former IEEE-USA vice president for career activities. As IEEE-USA president, he will work closely with Past President Jim Leonard of St. Charles, Mo., and President-Elect Gerard Alphonse of Princeton, N.J. Steadman and his wife Sally, a mathematics faculty member at South Alabama, live in Daphne, Ala. Read Steadman's first IEEE-USA President's column at: www.ieeeusa.org/newspubs/presidentscolumn/Steadman/steadmanjan04.html IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., created in 1973 to advance the public good, while promoting the careers and public-policy interests of the more than 225,000 electrical, electronics, computer and software engineers who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society with more than 360,000 members in 150 countries. For more information, go to www.ieeeusa.org.
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23 January 2004 |