Dan Ryan

Daniel L. Ryan is presently self-employed as an educational consultant for distance learning users within the engineering and technology curriculum. He opened his small company in 1984 after completing a PhD degree from Pacific Western University in Data Systems Engineering. In 1993 he left his college teaching position at Clemson University to expand and develop DLR Associates. He is now Professor Emeritus at Clemson University. During his thirty year teaching career, Ryan has seen engineering and technology communications evolve from simple plotting devices into CAD packages and has witnessed computer-aided engineering (CAE) become a reality. Ryan dedicated his teaching career to seeing that engineering education kept pace with industry's CAE growth.

An Iowa native, Ryan attended the University of Northern Iowa where he earned a bachelor’s degree in technology (1963) and a master's degree in 1968. Shortly before his master's degree Ryan left Iowa to teach at the two-year Technical Institute at Omaha University. In 1968 he became head of the drafting and design department at the newly formed University of Nebraska at Omaha. In 1972 all A.S. degree programs were moved to the community and technical colleges and Ryan's department was moved to the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and reorganized as a B.S. degree granting program. He advanced within the College of Engineering and Technology becoming the assistant dean in charge of the school of technology.

During his Nebraska tenure, Ryan became a member of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) in 1967 and served as secretary of the society's Midwestern Engineering Technology Division in 1975-76. While a member of ASEE, Ryan met the man who would later be responsible for Ryan's coming to Clemson, fellow ASEE member Dr. Gene Bishop. Dr. Bishop, head of mechanical engineering, told Ryan of his desire to introduce computer aided design (CAD) into the school's engineering graphics program and asked Ryan to join Clemson's faculty. Having earned tenure at the University of Nebraska, Ryan was hesitant to start over at Clemson, but after an interview at Clemson, Ryan decided to make the move.

Since moving to Clemson in 1976, Ryan developed several new CAD courses and wrote the textbook for each. As head of the program, Ryan was instrumental in securing improved technology for graphics education. The old mainframe and Calcomp plotter which were used when Ryan came to Clemson were replaced with new equipment through his efforts (grants and contracts). In 1982 the new Dean of Engineering at Clemson convinced the board of trustees to eliminate Engineering Technology as a major at Clemson University. This moved the Engineering Graphics program into a new Freshman Engineering program. No longer in charge of the direction or quality of an engineering program or department, Ryan decided that this might be a good time to seek a PhD.

He began his search for a graduate institution on the new internet just recently installed at Clemson University. This was his first intro to the internet. He listed his resume, which included twelve textbooks, some translated into Russian, Chinese and Polish. Ryan's contact with colleges offering distance and online education began at this time. He found colleges who would convert his research and publications into course credits and give him credit for his 1971-1975 part-time industrial experience at Northern Natural Gas Company. Ryan had developed many of the industrial training courses offered at Northern Natural Gas. Credit was given, courses were taken over the internet using the Pacific Western University format and work began on a dissertation. Two years later Ryan received his PhD. He continued to teach and conduct research into distance education and was invited to present papers at the national distance learning conference held at the University of Maine in 1985,'86 and '87. Through conference contacts, he began doing on-site consulting in distance education and internet course formats. He received a Fulbright Scholarship Nomination from the University of Roorkee, India and was listed in the Who's Who Directory of the computer graphics industry.

By December of 1992, Ryan was completing his 30th year of college teaching and deeply involved with distance education consulting. He was offered and accepted Professor Emeritus status at Clemson University in May of 1993. Since the spring of 1993 Ryan has been consulting, writing distance learning courses, and marketing these courses to A.S. degree granting colleges. His most recent effort has been in e-learning modules for business and industry.