Jacky Mathews ’22 couldn’t help but think attending Viterbo would be a bit of a risk.

Introduced to the school when she was recruited to play softball, the university had just about everything for which the Plainfield, Ill. native was looking—strong academics, both her chosen majors, nice residence halls, and located in a city of just the right size. The engineering program, however, was brand new.

Mathews and her parents decided to investigate further by attending Viterbo’s Engineering Exploration Day. The informational recruitment event would give prospective students and their families the opportunity to meet the faculty and hear from a panel of local business leaders.

“The employers told us how much they were invested in the program and would support it,” Mathews said. “That’s what sold me, and my parents. We knew they wouldn’t let the program fail.”

Far from it. Since the program began with Mathews’ class in the fall of 2018, 23 students have earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and there are 28 current students majoring in the subject. Mathews was part of the first graduating class in May 2022, earning a degree in engineering and another in applied mathematics and analytics.

Originally planning a career in mathematics, Mathews hadn’t considered the field of engineering until late in high school when she spoke to her advanced placement calculus teacher, a retired engineer.

“I looked for a college that offered both majors so I could figure out which one I liked better,” Mathews said. “I really enjoyed the problem solving that engineering supplied along with the technical math skills used to solve said problems. I decided to get both.”

Today, Mathews is a product design engineer with Trane in La Crosse. The company, which is part of the Ingersoll Rand corporation, is a “global provider of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and building management systems and controls.” Mathews is one of a team of 10 engineers working on the Trane’s water-cooled chillers, which are commercial-sized units used to cool large buildings such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, etc. She and her team look to improve the products’ design, efficiency, and maintenance requirements with each new model year.

“I really enjoy working on the technical side of things,” Mathews said. “I love working at Trane and want to keep increasing my knowledge and be the person who knows everything about our products.”

Mathews’ first experience with Trane came with an electrical design team internship as student, which partly came about through the work of Viterbo’s Engineering Advisory Board. The board consists of local professionals who provide important advice about curriculum and other aspects of the major. Mathews now serves as a member.

Despite the educational disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mathews felt prepared to begin her career when she graduated. Enrolling in a brand-new program also gave her and classmates the unique opportunity to provide Viterbo engineering faculty with valuable feedback that would help shape the program.

            “Viterbo is a great school,” said Mathews, who serves as an assistant coach for the softball team. “I would recommend it to anyone.”