The Fundraising “DREAM” Come True

In times of perpetual budget cuts, project fundraising can be a difficult feat for many mechanical engineering technology departments. This is especially true for smaller departments. In fact, it is a problem that has plagued the department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Studies (ETIS) at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) for many years. Recently, however, the faculty of the ETIS department at MTSU has been able to overcome this difficulty through a series of five carefully prepared and executed steps that MTSU has entitled “DREAM.” The five steps that will be discussed in this paper are as follows: 1. Do well in one prestigious, national competition. 2. Request additional funding after success. 3. Establish relationships with industry. 4. Additional projects. 5. Make the most of the learning experience. This paper was written to document the experiences of the ETIS department at MTSU with the hopes of giving other mechanical engineering technology departments additional insight into fundraising techniques. The beauty of the DREAM plan is that it makes fundraising much easier because industries are usually willing to support successful teams that do well in national competitions. The DREAM plan has greatly enhanced the learning experience of the students at MTSU in several ways. First, it gives them hands-on experience that will benefit them in the real world. Next, it allows them to apply knowledge from classroom lectures and labs to an actual project from the first sketch to the competition. Finally, it gives them valuable contacts with potential future employers. These are opportunities that MTSU’s students might not be able to experience otherwise. With internal funding in such short supply, perhaps other departments could benefit from the DREAM plan as well.