Bruckner, the chair of the only aeronautical engineering program in the Pacific Northwest, is facing a crisis: a malnourished budget and a bad case of student unpreparedness.
The best students are as good as they ever were, Bruckner said. But the rest aren't keeping pace with technological innovation in the industry.
Add this to the mix: The state's aerospace industry is in dire need of engineers. Demand consistently exceeds the state's production at a two-to-one ratio, and that supply gap is expected to widen as the industry's aging work force retires in droves.
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The crisis calls into question Washington's place in the country's aerospace landscape, a big red flag as Boeing moves some operations to other states and countries.
But it means an even bigger question mark for the United States' competitive edge in engineering, especially as China and India ramp up efforts to produce a more educated work force.
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"The U.S. is still at the forefront," Bruckner said. "But the U.S. has to be really careful and make investments in education in support of engineering."