Strategic Plan for the School of Engineering University of Alaska Anchorage. November 2, 2006

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1 1 Strategic Plan for the School of Engineering University of Alaska Anchorage November 2, 2006 The UAA School of Engineering (SOE) will strive to achieve the goals in the Strategic Plan for Engineering Education at the University of Alaska, dated October 2006, through the plan outlined in this document, which was prepared with the input of all members of the School s Executive Committee, consisting of the Dean, Associate Dean, and all Department Chairs. Goal 1: Continue to be recognized for academic excellence in engineering, geomatics, and project management Maintain continuing ABET accreditation for the B.S. Civil Engineering and Geomatics program Obtain ABET accreditation for the new Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) program in each of its specialty areas; consider expansion to areas such as a Biomedical Engineering option to strengthen UAA s connection with the large medical centers in Anchorage Use ABET and other outcomes assessment processes to refine the quality of education to meet the needs of Alaskan employers Restore the Geomatics Department to its role as the UA leader for the teaching of GIS courses, meeting the high workforce need Make UAA the global gold standard for developing project management expertise. Seek to make UAA MS Project Management graduates the most sought after to lead the world s most critical infrastructure projects. Obtain PMI accreditation for the M.S. Project Management program Continue working with UAA, UA Statewide, and Pacific Alliance academic partners to extend and expand the successful ANSEP model of recruitment, retention, and support Continue promoting inter-mau collaborations with UAF, UAS, and the community campuses that result in synchronous and asynchronous distance delivery of courses, and facilitates movement of students between campuses through carefully crafted articulation agreements Continue to build strategic relationships for student and faculty exchange, and collaborative research, with both cold region and Pacific Rim universities and other western states

2 2 Maintain strong collaborations with leading engineers, scientists, practitioners of geomatics, and project managers working in both governmental and private sectors Listen to industry, government and community partners inputs to appropriately expand and diversify undergraduate and graduate degree programs Work with the incipient UAA Honors College to promote academic excellence and a broadening of engineering education into the liberal arts Goal 2: Become more student focused Set up an Engineering Advising Center built around the ANSEP model with full support from UAA Evaluate and implement processes, tools and approaches that show appreciation for the working professional status of many of our undergraduate and graduate engineering, geomatics, and project management students and make processes more user-friendly Provide state of the art distance and on-line course delivery and training infrastructure, making increasing use of technological tools such as streaming videos of courses to facilitate a mastery learning approach to engineering in an interactive classroom or on-line setting Where appropriate, provide real-time, in-class course delivery for distancestudents located across Alaska, the western US and select international locations. Improve UAA engineering, geomatics and project management labs and facilities to a level at least comparable with those in peer institutions, and with the help of community and other partners raise the level of quality to one that will be the aspiration of other institutions Further facilitate and promote engineering, geomatics and project management research and internships with Alaskan employers as an integral part of the educational process for most students Initiate and facilitate internships in interdisciplinary community service activities that are integral with engineering, geomatics, and project management curricula Promote the formation and successful activities of student and professional chapters of professional societies

3 3 Hire sufficient faculty to properly provide courses and advising to meet the needs of the students, provide consistent, high-quality curriculum and ensure long-term stability of programs Seek out collaboration and partnership with fellow colleges at UAA (e.g. Business, Physics, Nursing, Public Policy, CTC, etc.) to expand options for students to pursue inter-disciplinary programs Goal 3: Hire, motivate, and reward superior faculty members Expand faculty hiring in keeping with increased enrollment in engineering, geomatics, and project management Ensure that all aspects of compensation packages are competitive within the market for engineering, geomatics, and project management faculty Strive to maintain a work environment that is both productive and collegial Make use of flexible workloads to allow for movement within the continuum of teaching, research, and service, striving to maximize benefits to UAA, UA, the State of Alaska, and the individual faculty member s professional satisfaction Facilitate collaborations in a way that enhances our overall mission Allow for performance-based salary in strategically selected areas Facilitate the engagement of faculty in grant-funded research in ways that complements our teaching and service missions Continue to seek out exceptional adjunct faculty members with relevant industry experience to expand real-world relevance of academic programs Goal 4: Develop graduate programs and increase research and scholarly activity Get Board of Regents approval for the first School of Engineering Center, the Strategic Center of Project Excellence (SCOPE). This center will focus on expanding the impact of professional project management capabilities inside and outside Alaska in both engineering and non-engineering sectors. In addition to project management, the center will also seek to provide general and specialized continuing professional education, training and certification for engineers in all fields of study as well as center for research in the field of project management. Gear up for the increase in demand for graduate education that will result from the NCEES Model Law recommending 30 semester units of additional coursework

4 4 beyond the B.S. degree for licensure, the growing implementation by State Boards for continuing education requirements to maintain professional licensure, and the growing demand for Project Management Professional (PMP) certification for project managers managing projects in critical industry and government sectors Make increasing use of project-based learning at the undergraduate level to infuse the ethos of research and scholarship throughout the educational process Goal 5: Communicate and collaborate more effectively with Society Earnestly inform all constituents within UA and the State legislature about the serious shortage of engineering, geomatics, and project management graduates within Alaska, and the resulting deleterious effect on the State s economy Actively align undergraduate and graduate degree programs with industry and government partners. Ensure curriculums meet both scholarly as well as the practical interests for engineering, geomatics, and project management in industry and social sectors. Continue working with Advisory Boards to facilitate dialog between UAA and all our partners Through leadership positions in professional societies, continue to champion the causes of UA. Be receptive to the stated educational needs for Alaska, facilitating dialog as needed within the UA system to be sure we are appropriately responsive. Support activities such as Engineers week and public presentations that showcase the role of engineering Conduct annual Open House events to publicize and promote engineering, geomatics, and project management programs within the business, University and public communities Work closely with UAA Advancement staff to ensure that some of the many good engineering and project management activities of faculty and students are given proper media attention Encourage greater student and faculty participation at professional conferences to present research and practical application of engineering and project management concepts Continue working with entities such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Engineering Lab, the UA Transportation Center, and State, federal and

5 5 industry project managers to help meet Alaska s research engineering, geomatics, and project management needs Actively pursue opportunities to apply project management, geomatics, and engineering expertise to address some of Alaska s essential social/non-profit sector needs Goal 6: Maintain and further develop modern facilities Enrollment and Student Credit Hour (SCH) production for the School of Engineering is increasing at 20% annually. Project Management enrollment and SCH production is increasing at over 50% annually. Given that these programs are growing between times UAA s average rate, aggressively and pragmatically ensure that the planning for new engineering, geomatics, and project management program facilities and renovation and expansion of our current facilities move to the head of the queue of facilities projects at UAA Plan the renovation and expansion of facilities around the best practices of educational pedagogy, striving to centralize facilities in accessible locations Pioneer the use of videoconferencing, streaming video and other technologies that enhance the distance delivery capabilities of all our campuses, and increase our connectivity with partners such as high schools throughout Alaska as well as other institutions with whom we can partner to deliver more robust elective and program opportunities for our students. Ensure that local and distance learning facilities for degree programs and continuing professional education, certification and training, for which fees may be considerably higher, are of an appropriate caliber Goal 7: Diversify and enhance financial resources Through Board of Regents approval of the Strategic Center of Project Excellence (SCOPE), provide a home for entrepreneurial training, professional development, certification and government and industry research grants. Additionally, provide a clearing house for job opportunities and recruitment of exceptional students, faculty and staff. Expand cohort Project Management M.S. degree programs and professional training classes for select industry partners that are within direct, non-stop travel distance from Anchorage (e.g. Alaska Air Group, Boeing, Microsoft, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, etc.).

6 6 Through institutionalization of ANSEP at UAA, work with the Chancellor to obtain additional grant funding support Work with UAA Administration to definite and implement an appropriate (higher) level of tuition and fees, with corollary scholarship support, especially at the graduate level Continue working with industrial partners to increase sponsorship of labs, scholarships and research opportunities in engineering, geomatics, and project management Seek to establish policies within UAA for funding of space and infrastructure expenses for programs and centers not located within UAA facilities. Ensure reasonable, consistent and equitable treatment compared with other similar programs.