As an OSU IE faculty member, Dr. West specialized in engineering economic analysis, intermodal transportation systems and integrated manufacturing systems; co-authored two classic engineering economy texts with then-department head Jim Riggs; and provided consulting services for companies and agencies throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. West also served as faculty advisor to OSU’s IIE and SME student chapters, both of which have received significant national recognition. And last but not least, he spearheaded establishment of OSU’s Manufacturing Engineering degree program and of the highly successful Manufacturing Engineering Co-op Program that would later evolve into MECOP/CECOP.

During his tenure at Oregon State, Dr. West served as Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering department head and as associate dean and interim dean of the College of Engineering. He also served as both vice president and member of the board of trustees of the Institute of Industrial Engineers; and during his years of service on the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, he was selected to represent IIE and SME on the committee that established the ABET 2000 criteria by which engineering programs are currently evaluated.

Dr. West is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and a member of the College of Fellows for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He has been recognized as a National Society of Professional Engineers Outstanding Engineering Professor and an Oregon Industrial Engineer of the Year and is a member of the OSU College of Engineering Hall of Fame.