Francis Marion University graduates first Mechanical Engineering class
Francis Marion University has a new starting five.
No, not the basketball team. The first students to graduate from FMU’s Mechanical Engineering program received their diplomas during Saturday’s commencement ceremony.
Colton Mims and Matthew Todd of Pamplico, Kevin Smith of Cheraw, Maximo Rainwater of Florence, and Devin Warren of Greenville were all awarded diplomas and became a part of university history.
Warren, who was also awarded FMU’s first Mechanical Engineering Award earlier this year, called the experience “mind-blowing,” and said being one of the program’s first five graduates “definitely feels big.”
The program coordinator of Mechanical Engineering is Dr. Rahul Renu. Renu came to FMU in 2016 after earning a master’s and Ph.D. from Clemson University. According to him, FMU could not have hoped for a better team of graduates.
“They represent everything that our program is about. They have all gained industry work experience (through internships) prior to graduating, some have performed undergraduate research, they’ve all actively participated in the FMU community and have all grown to become well-rounded professionals,” Renu said.
The Mechanical Engineering program has attracted many students in the first three years since its inception, according to Renu. The program expects this trend to continue, which they attribute to the strong regional need for mechanical engineers.