After three years of taking on other responsibilities at Sinclair Community College, Surinder Jain has returned at his position as chair of the Electronics and Robotics department.
Along with his duties as chair, Jain will still be holding his position as dean of the Science, Mathematics and Engineering department. He had held the position of chair for 22 years, from 1985-2007.
“The most exciting thing for me is to offer the latest technology. Sinclair is an elite institution and we are very proud of our facilities. Our students go right on the job,” Jain said. “These programs are a lot of hands on so they don’t only learn the material but know how to put together things, repair or troubleshoot them.”
Recently, the department has had to change its direction from being manufacturing to service oriented to keep in line with the job needs from Miami Valley, according to Jain. He said the department’s presence is found in employers like Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) where jobs are needed to maintain, repair and install automated equipment.
The Electronics and Robotics department consists of four associate degree programs and six short term certificates, including an Advanced Technical Intelligence (ATI) certificate that gives students Government Security Clearance at no extra cost.
“It started two years ago and we have taken about 50 people through it and 83 percent have jobs already,” Jain said. “You are almost assured a job.”
The ATI certificate requires that students be U.S. citizens, and the clearance allows them to work on classified information at WPAFB and other places, according to Jain.
Jain said he takes pride in the fact that the department’s facilities have state of the art equipment and technology, and that the major program, Electronics Engineering Technology degree, is TAC/ABET accredited.
“This is an accreditation that is very prestigious. It’s like a quality control for our program. Every six years the evaluators come and spend three days here, and go through the faculty credentials, training, professional development, look at our courses, labs, facilities – everything,” he said. “If you decide to transfer, get moved or go to another community college or university and say ‘I have these courses from a TAC/ABET accredited program’, without question they will accept all transfer credits. It’s a seal of quality that you are coming from a quality program and quality institution.”
Although Jain doesn’t teach much at his position, he said he subscribes daily to journals and attends conferences and workshops to keep up with the fast pace of the industry.
“In my profession, they say when you get up there are 17 new products on the market, so I need to know about them,” Jain said. “I have the opinion that if I don’t know anything then how can I be a good leader. So that is my approach to this whole thing. A lot of professional development is needed all the time.”
The support of the college and the industry community has helped tremendously with keeping the program efficient and up to date, according to Jain. Colleges from all over the country come to visit the department’s classrooms, labs and facilities because of it.
“I would like to thank the administration for supporting the department and keeping up with the new technology. The faculty is the backbone of this department; actually the team,” Jain said. “We fight, but at the end the student is our focus and industry is our connection. They are the ones who execute most of the work. We argue sometimes and then we come up with the best solution.”
To find out more information about the Electronics and Robotics department visit www.sinclair.edui/academics/sme/program.