Featuring Dr. Jeff Allen, professor of industrial technology at Wayne State.
When Wayne State holds its Spring Career and Internship Fair and the Industrial Technology Career Fair this week, Dr. Jeff Allen will be exactly where he wants to be – helping students take the next step in their education or career. Allen, a professor of industrial technology at Wayne State, is this week’s subject of the Faculty Spotlight Series.
(Note: Wayne State’s Career and Internship Fair is Wednesday, Feb. 25, and the Industrial Technology Career Fair is Thursday, Feb. 26. Both are for Wayne State students, and both are in the Kanter Student Center.)
“Employers love Wayne State graduates because they are problem solvers and communicators with a lot of practical experience,” said Allen, a native of York, Pa. “The coursework is extremely interesting and very hands-on, and many of our students received multiple offers from employers when they graduate. The School of Business and Technology has a very high placement rate for its graduates.”
Many of those employers will be on hand for the career fairs. They include Turner Construction, Kiewit, Hausmann Construction, Beckenhauer Construction, Commonwealth Electric, Timberlyne, and Heritage Homes.
“These employers know what they’re getting when they hire Wayne State graduates,” said Allen, who began teaching at Wayne State in 2015. “Our graduates have gone on to become supervisors, project managers, vice presidents, drafters, safety personnel, Science Technology Studies instructors, interior designers/consultants, engineering technicians, and business owners.”
Students in Wayne State’s Industrial Technology or Engineering Technology programs develop a diversified background in areas of construction, manufacturing, drafting, applied engineering, safety, and business management. They learn what it takes to manage new construction projects or ensure workplace safety through various programs and topics taught in the Department of Technology and Applied Science.
The Center for Applied Technology (CAT) building is a state-of-the-art facility where students explore emerging technologies such as robotics, advanced computer-integrated manufacturing, and 3D printing, along with traditional technologies like construction, planning, and design. Students interested in practical application of sciences and engineering to real-world challenges can study product improvement, manufacturing, construction, and engineering operational functions.
Prior to Wayne State, Allen taught high school auto and diesel mechanics for five years, part-time at a junior college, a university, and a career college. He also substituted K-12 in several districts around the country.
Allen possesses a wide range of technical skills and industrial knowledge. He has experience in entrepreneurship and has also worked in the manufacturing, consulting, and health care industries.
In addition to working and teaching throughout the U.S., Allen has worked overseas. He coordinated the sourcing of selected products from a manufacturing facility in China; served as interim plant manager for a custom steel component fabrication facility in England; and served as the U.S. project manager for the planning, coordination, shipping, assembly, installation, and training for a high-speed production line in a Russian facility.
Allen has a passion for teaching technical concepts and a genuine enthusiasm for problems and challenges. He has also mastered a broad range of hands-on skills, including technical/computer, mechanical/engineering, and accounting/legal.
In his free time, Allen enjoys gardening, cooking, listening to music, lifting weights, and swimming. He lived in six different states before moving to Nebraska: Pennsylvania, California, Wyoming, Utah, West Virginia, and Minnesota.
Allen earned his bachelor of arts degree in Industrial Arts (Automotives) from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, his master’s degree in Industrial Education from Utah State University, and his Ed.D. in Study of Technology from West Virginia University.
Fun Fact: “I have a tattoo of Disney’s first version of Cheshire Cat from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ on my right calf.”