The University of Georgia s Preparedness to Develop a First-Tier Engineering Program

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3 The University of Georgia s Preparedness to Develop a First-Tier Engineering Program The preparedness of UGA for developing a first-tier engineering program is objectively assessed using the following ten factors. They are selected from a combination of factors used by U.S. News and World Report, StudentReview College Ranking, and The Center for Measuring University Performance. 1. Comprehensiveness of academic programs in complementary disciplines on campus and their quality The University of Georgia is both a liberal arts institution and a land-grant university, and it is the most comprehensive university in the state of Georgia. It offers a full range of academic programs in arts and sciences, business, applied sciences, law, public health, journalism, and mass communication. It also offers professional degree programs in pharmacy and veterinary medicine and has started the Medical Partnership program with MCG that will educate medical graduates. The overall academic quality of its programs can be judged based on the fact that UGA has been consistently ranked in the top 20 public universities and its students receive highest awards including Rhodes, Goldwater, Truman and other prestigious scholarships. 2. R&D expenditures and engineering contribution to improving competitive advantage Analysis of NSF data places UGA 2nd in the nation among public universities and 51st among all universities for total R&D expenditures. It is 98th in the nation in Federal R&D expenditures. Without engineering and medical schools, UGA is unable to tap into the expanding Federal funds for engineering and medical research, the two major sources of research funds for most academic institutions. With all other disciplines already on campus, UGA is prepared to build a full-fledged engineering program which will improve UGA s competitive position with the potential of adding $0 to $50 million annually in grants and contracts to support multidisciplinary research. Engineering in today s university is an enabling science. The engineering perspective informs and determines the range of research that can be undertaken or accomplished in many other fields. Thus, a comprehensive engineering program will not only expand research funding in the discipline, it will enable expanded research and funding in many other UGA programs that are influenced, or could be influenced, by engineering. Additionally, comprehensive engineering at UGA will directly contribute to engineering the tools of scientific discovery and enhance overall productivity of on-going scientific research. This is one of the ten Grand Challenges for Engineering determined by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).. National ranking of the institution in research, particularly in sciences and applied sciences UGA already has a strong ranking among public institutions. UGA s biological sciences program is listed with the top-tier institutions, along with business, law, genetics, agricultural research, and environmental design, to name a few. An institution of UGA s stature and legacy, with its faculty and administrative leadership, is prepared to create a first-class engineering program. Doing otherwise will not take advantage of this great potential that will contribute to the State of Georgia in ways that cannot be fully measured now. 1

4 4. Interdisciplinary research centers, culture of collaboration and use-inspired research devoted to problems that present grand challenges UGA s exceptional record in creating interdisciplinary centers of excellence (e.g., Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, Center for Humanities and Arts, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, the Faculty of Infectious Diseases, and the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases) provides strong evidence of a culture of collaboration in research and outreach. These centers provide a strong science foundation for addressing several of NAE s Grand Challenges, e.g., develop carbon sequestration methods, manage the nitrogen cycle, provide access to clean water, improve urban infrastructure, advance health informatics, engineer better medicines, and advance personalized learning. These problems can only be addressed in an interdisciplinary environment such as that present on UGA s campus. 5. Selectively of students [Grade point and SAT/GRE of students admitted] Entering quality of UGA students at the freshman level has increased dramatically where only 59% of the applicants are admitted and 27% enroll. In addition, the UGA s Honors Program is among the best in the country. The freshman Honor s class of has an average SAT score of 1471 and High School GPA of Many of these students have two or even three majors. Approximately 10% of entering freshmen are admitted to the Honors Program and honors students have shown strong interest in engineering. These students will push UGA s engineering program to excellence in the future. 6. Faculty quality, learning environment, innovations in teaching and accessibility to resources UGA faculty members are responsible for conducting relevant research and provide an excellent learning environment for students. They are especially encouraged and rewarded for integrating the two. The Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunity (CURO), managed by the Honors Program, is a catalyst for this opportunity. Several other resources, such as the Center for Teaching and Learning, Teaching Academy and Institute of Higher Education, are devoted to innovation in teaching. These programs create a small institution learning environment in a large public research university. Engineering students at UGA will experience learning in a liberal arts environment that is much needed in engineering education and is highly promoted by NAE. 7. Percent of Faculty in the National Academy of Engineering Since the transfer of all engineering disciplines but one from UGA to Georgia Tech during the economic depression of the 190 s, UGA has had very limited and restricted resources for engineering. They were primarily allocated to agricultural engineering. Even under these conditions, faculty have provided excellent education, maintained ABET accredited programs, conducted research projects that have resulted in developing game changing technologies (e.g., peanut harvester, electrostatic spraying technology, and sensing agricultural products for quality). In the 1990 s, two UGA faculty members (one adjunct in USDA, both recently retired) were elected into the NAE. Other faculty members have received national awards. Most recently two newly appointed faculty members were awarded the prestigious NSF CAREER Award. 2

5 8. Commitment to technology transfer and its impact The Technology Commercialization Office (TCO), in the Office of Vice-President for Research, serves the UGA community by connecting industry with university expertise and inventions for the public good, promoting economic development and increasing research visibility. The TCO is ranked rd among all US universities for licenses and options executed, 9 th among all public universities for licensing income and 17 th among all public and private universities for licensing income. UGA is the largest producer of intellectual property rights in BOR institutions and receives the highest royalties which go towards building research quality. UGA research impacts economic development and quality of life throughout the state of Georgia, and its discoveries are licensed and developed products and processes are marketed and used around the world. 9. Support for engineering by academic leaders and university administrators The Institute of the Faculty of Engineering has nearly 110 member faculty from 25 academic departments and 8 schools/colleges who voluntarily contribute to engineering teaching, research and outreach because of the benefits they see to their programs by adding this new dimension. The UGA Honors Program has created a new CURO-Engineering initiative because of the potential it sees in providing highly motivated undergraduate students with engineering research and design experience. Deans of UGA schools/colleges are strongly in favor of the development of comprehensive engineering at UGA and remarkably, some have allocated funds from their own college budget for new joint faculty appointments and support. The University-level administration sees engineering as a high value addition to building UGA quality in ways that is expected of AAU member universities. Support of faculty and administrators and demand by students for engineering academic programs are surely the signs for building a first-tier engineering program. 10. Current engineering program UGA has shown remarkable ingenuity in creating futurist engineering programs with very limited and restricted resources. It conceptualized the discipline of Biological Engineering in the 1980 s and added an academic degree in the new disciplines. In 2000, it proposed the Institute of Faculty of Engineering with strong collaboration from other disciplines on campus and that unit has created innovative new programs. Even with the handicap of not having comprehensive engineering, it has recruited outstanding new faculty in the new programs. They are educated in some of the most prestigious institutions, e.g., MIT, UC Berkley, Stanford, UVA, CMU and Yale. Two of these new appointees received a 2010 NSF CAREER Award. The newly appointed faculty, on average, have been successful in obtaining nearly $50,000 per year in grants and contracts. These metrics are strong indicators of two important things: 1) UGA is a strong university that can attract outstanding faculty and 2) adding engineering will increase R&D expenditures, enhance recruiting potential for star faculty and students, and enable UGA to reach a new level of excellence that will be of benefit to all sectors of the university as well as to the state of Georgia. Engineering at UGA is one of Georgia s best investment opportunities in education to prepare the next generation for a technologically savvy, globally-competitive world.

6 Executive Summary Demand for Engineers in Georgia and University of Georgia Strategy Supply and Demand Gap for Engineers in Georgia The annual shortage of BS graduates from Georgia institutions to meet projected job needs in Georgia until 2016 for Civil Engineers (CE) is 158, Electrical and Electronics Engineers (EE) is 176 and nearly zero for Mechanical Engineers (ME). However, there is an opportunity and economic need for Georgia to at least reach the national average of employed engineers by 2016 which would mean an annual shortage of 20 CE, 292 EE and 129 ME. While Georgia has almost.00 percent of the national population, this opportunity based shortage occurs because it has only 1.84 percent of national jobs for CE, 2.26 percent for EE and 1.22 percent for ME. The projected demand for engineers was estimated using published data on Long Term Occupational Projections for the U.S. and Long Term Industry Projections for Georgia for the ten year period published in the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, Edition. The population data and projections for 2016 are based on the U.S. Bureau of Census data published in The projected supply of BS graduates in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering was developed from Georgia Tech s Office of Institutional Research & Planning reports and ASEE data is the base year for these projections. University of Georgia Strategy to Address the Supply and Demand Gap Add BS degree programs in Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Focus of University of Georgia Engineering Degree Programs UGA engineering is focused to graduate engineers who are excellent in the practice of engineering design and innovation and in the integration of humanistic dimension for building technologies. It is this kind of engineer that industries and communities are in need of; they solve problems for building sustainable industries and communities. The education of these engineers requires a liberal arts environment with easy access to wide range of disciplines and freedom to integrate humanities and arts, science and technology. The comprehensiveness of UGA (unlike any other institution in Georgia) with programs in all disciplines of natural and social sciences, humanities and arts, and professional programs in business, law, pharmacy, public health, veterinary medicine and soon in human medicine with MCG is the best venue in Georgia for engineering education with the objective to graduate renaissance engineers. This will surely complement Georgia Tech s engineering program. Impact on Economic Development in Georgia UGA has a social and charter responsibility to provide innovative services for economic development and quality of life in the state. Engineering is a lynchpin in this effort and an adequate workforce of practicing engineers is increasingly important in today s highly competitive global economy. The UGA degree programs will build the continuum between knowledge and use, introduce new technology and create new industries, and directly contribute to USG s strategic goals to build a Global Georgia. Resource Needs for Implementation of UGA Strategy Building upon its current substantial intellectual and physical resources in engineering and supporting disciplines, projected funding needs for an enrollment of 1,200 undergraduate engineering students in FY16 would begin with recurring funding of $284,000 and one time funding of $700,000 in FY10 and increase to recurring funding of $6,045,000 and one time funding of $4,700,000 in FY15.

7 Demand for Engineers Projected Demand for Engineers in Georgia An analysis to determine the projected demand through 2016 for civil engineers, electrical and electronics engineers, and mechanical engineers in Georgia produced the numbers shown in the following table. These projections are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the Georgia Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau. A detailed description of the analysis whereby this projected demand was developed is provided in the sections following the table. Annual Job Projections and Job Creation Opportunities for 10 years Using 2006 as the base year (2016 is the projection year) 1. Projected Annual Job Opening National 2. Projected Annual Job Opening Georgia. National jobs in Georgia (%) 4. Opportunity Job opening.19% of National population 5. Ga Tech BS grad in job market annually 6. Ga Tech BS grad in GA. jobs 7. Annual shortage to meet projected job needs in Georgia 8. Annual shortage to meet opportunity job needs in Georgia CE 11, = = 20 EE 12, = = 292 ME 7, = ( 18) = 129 Detailed Analysis The U.S. Bureau of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau projections for (Table 1) show strong growth in population and strong demand for engineers in Georgia. Georgia s population increased from 8.18 million in 2000 to nearly 9.7 million in 2008, an increase of 18. percent in eight years or an annual increase rate of percent. For the same period, U.S. population increased by 8 percent or an annual increase of 1.0 percent. Georgia had the fastest growth rate in the Southeast. A similar rate of increase Page 1 of 7

8 in population is projected for the next decade. Georgia s population is estimated to increase by 2.1 million to reach nearly 11.5 million in Due to the significant population increase in Georgia as compared to other states, the percent of the U.S. population in Georgia has increased from 2.91% in 2000 to.19% in 2008 and is projected to reach.5% by The USG has experienced the effect of population increase in the past decade with a % increase in students from 1998 to Demand for Engineers Georgia Tech is the only USG institution and the only institution in Georgia that offers the foundational engineering degrees Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical (including Electronics and Computer) Engineering. A significant percent of Georgia high school students indicating interest in engineering do not enter an engineering program. Those graduates of Georgia High Schools with interest in engineering who do not enter Georgia Tech choose other majors when they enroll in a USG institution. Others choose to go out of state. For example, the high number of Georgia students (48 out of 8 students or 10. percent) enrolled in the College of Engineering at Auburn University in 2008 is reflective of this dynamic. This situation will be further exasperated by the projected 40% increase in Georgia high school graduates (an additional 100,000 students) by 2020 seeking to enter USG institutions. It is reasonable to expect that in this period there will be at least a proportional increase in demand for engineering degrees as well. In 2006, the state of Georgia, that is, Georgia Tech, graduated 156 students with BS in Civil Engineering (CE), 262 students with BS in Electrical Engineering (EE) and 27 with BS in Mechanical Engineering (ME). Over a decade ( ) of data show that consistently nearly 4 percent of Georgia Tech graduates enroll in graduate schools for advanced degrees and approximately 50 percent of those who take a job go to other states. Accordingly, in 2006, 10 CE, 17 EE and 180 ME graduates from Georgia Tech took a job after graduating with a BS degree but only 52 CE, 86 EE and 90 ME took a job in Georgia (See Table 2). Table shows Georgia and National Occupational Projections for obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Handbook Edition. There is a robust 14.1 percent increase projected for all occupations in Georgia. Job growth rate for BS graduates in CE, EE and ME for the 10 year period are projected to be 12.5, 9.8 and 5.8 percent, respectively, which translates into increases in available jobs of 690 in CE, 760 in EE and 180 in ME. It is estimated that nearly 1/5th of the currently employed engineers will retire annually or leave the job for other reasons. Table (rows B, C and D) shows that the annual Georgia openings from growth and replacement in the next 10 years will be 220 for CE, 280 for EE and 90 for ME graduates. Table also shows (rows E, F and G) the national needs and projected annual openings of 11,9 for CE, 12,78 for EE and 7,91 for ME. Based on the data presented in Tables 1, 2 and (for ) and assuming a conservative figure of 60 percent (instead of 50 percent reported earlier) graduates Page 2 of 7

9 Demand for Engineers taking jobs in Georgia, it can be projected that while annual openings for CE in Georgia will be 220, only 62 graduate from Georgia Tech will take a job in Georgia. Thus there will be annual shortage of 158 Georgia graduates in CE to meet the Georgia job demand (see Table 4, column 7). Similarly, the projected annual openings for EE in Georgia will be 280; the 60 percent of Georgia Tech graduates taking a job in Georgia is 104, leaving an unfilled need for 176 additional EE graduates each year. Finally, the projected openings for ME in Georgia will be 90. Applying the 60 percent in state employment rate, the Georgia Tech ME graduates staying in Georgia is 108, which is 18 more graduates than the available jobs. However, at the 50 percent rate taking a job in Georgia, the number of openings and graduates are the same. The projected lack of openings for ME graduates is deceptive because the Bureau of Labor data is 1) highly influenced by the loss jobs in the traditional manufacturing sector through outsourcing to other countries and 2) does not project the need for ME graduates in emerging bio based industries, e.g., bio energy, bio materials, and bio pharmaceutical manufacturing and products.. These bio based industries are unlikely to move off shore because the source of feed stock for bio based industries is biomass, which unlike many other countries can be produced in the U.S. in large quantities and it has unfavorable economics for transporting oversees for manufacturing industries. These bio based industries will create jobs for mechanical engineers, particularly those with an ME degree focused on applications in this emerging industry sector. Furthermore, mechanical engineers are very versatile and they are sought in a broad range of industry and service sectors. Finally, Georgia had.19 percent of the U.S. population in 2006 with only 1.84, 2.26 and 1.22 percent, respectively, of the CE, EE and ME jobs (see Table 4, column ). Georgia is one of the fastest growing states and creating additional engineering jobs that will equal the proportion of the state s population (.19 percent) in the U.S. is a real opportunity for Georgia. To capture this opportunity Georgia will need to annually fill 82 job openings in CE, 97 in EE, and 27 in ME. In other words, Georgia will need to graduate 20 CE, 292 EE and 129 ME annually to meet the opportunity jobs (See Table 4, column 8) of the future. In conclusion, population growth and new engineering job openings in Georgia for CE, EE and ME engineers during are projected to be strong and will require significant additional capacity for engineering education in USG. The Faculty of Engineering and comprehensive programs in sciences, arts, humanities and professional colleges at the University of Georgia make UGA the most prepared and best suited USG institution for building the needed capacity in engineering education. The existing engineering programs and faculty at UGA will complement the proposed new UGA degrees in CE, EE and ME. These three new degree programs are proposed to leverage the University s strength and build an engineering program that is judged superior nationally and internationally. Page of 7

10 A Table 1. Demographic and Employment Statistical FACTS From Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Edition Bureau ( and U.S. Census Bureau ( A. Population Statistics (From US Census Bureau) Demand for Engineers GEORGIA 1 Population estimate on April 1, ,186, ,424,602 2 Percent of the USA population in % Population estimate on April 1, ,685,744 04,059,724 4 Percent of the USA population in % 5 Change in population between 2000 and ,498,92 22,65,122 6 Percent change in population between 2000 and % 8.0% 7 Annual change between 2000 and % 1.0% 8 Housing Unit Estimate Fastest Growing counties with 5000 or more units in 2000 to Atlanta Sandy Springs Marietta in 2005, Ranked 9th by population 8 Georgia counties in top 20 4,918, Highest Change for any state from 2000 to , Highest percent change for any state from % USA B B. Employment in Georgia (From Bureau of Labor Statistics) 1 Total Employment in ,79,170 2 Percent of population employed in % Projected Total Employment in ,997,290 4 Change in Total Employment in ,90 5 Percent change in Total Employment in % 6 Annual change in Total Employment in % 7 Annual New Employment Openings from growth 66,00 8 Annual Openings from Replacements 97,680 9 Total Annual Openings 16,710 C C. Calculated population 1 Calculated Population of Georgia in 2006 = 6 years X 2.288% annual change (from A7) or1.725% of 8,186,812 (pop. in 2000) 2 Calculated Population of Georgia in 2016 Using 44% employment (from B2) = 4,997,290 divided by 0.44 Calculated change in population in 2016 Using 2008 (from A) estimate and 2000 to 2008 percent change rate of 18.% (from A6) 4 Calculated change in Georgia population from calculated two ways in C2 and C 9,10,451 11,57,477 11,458,27 2,047,026 2,147,786 5 Average change in Georgia population from ,097,406 Page 4 of 7

11 Demand for Engineers Table 2. Engineering Education in Georgia (Base year selected is 2006) 2006 A. BS Engineering Enrollment Georgia Tech 6,871 Mercer 76 UGA 200 Total 7,447 B. Percent in state enrolled undergraduate student Georgia Tech 9.45% Mercer >85% UGA >85% C. Number of BS graduates from Georgia Tech* BS in Civil Engineering 156 BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering 262 BS in Mechanical Engineering 27 D. Percent Georgia Tech graduates entering graduate school ~4% E. Georgia Tech BS graduates nearly 4% enter graduate school and remaining take on a job Grad. School Work Place BS in Civil Engineering 156 x 0.4/ BS in EE and Computer Engineering 262 x 0.4/ BS in Mechanical Engineering 27 x 0.4/ * Georgia Tech is the only Georgia institution with BS degree programs in Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering Page 5 of 7

12 Demand for Engineers Table. Georgia and National Occupational Projections: From Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Edition ( Occupation (In Georgia) 2006 Base Year 2016 Projected Year Change in 10 years # % From growth Annual openings From replacements A. Total, All 4,79,170 4,997, , ,00 97,680 16,710 occupations B. Civil Engineers 5,500 6, C. Electrical and 7,810 8, Electronics Engr. Electrical,220, Engineers Electronics,40, Engineers Computer Hardware 1,160 1, Engineers D. Mechanical Engineers,00, Total Occupation (National) 2006 Base 2016 Projected Change in 10 years From growth Annual openings Calculated * Annual replacements E. Civil Engineers 256,0 02,409 46, ,610 7,24 11,9 Total F. Electrical and Electronics Engr. Electrical Engineer Electronics Engineer Computer Hardware Engineer G. Mechanical Engineers 69,768 88,056 18,288 1,80 10,548 12,78 15,75 162,965 9, ,82 5,42 17, ,954 5, ,99 4,449 78,525 82,17, ,244 2, ,797 25,169 9, ,451 7,91 * Calculated Annual replacements = Calculated Annual replacement are the numbers of positions open by retirement and other moves is determined as 1/5th of the total number employed in 2006 Page 6 of 7

13 Demand for Engineers Table 4. Annual Job Projections and Job Creation Opportunities for 10 years Using 2006 as the base year (2016 is the projection year) 1. Projected Annual Job Opening National 2. Projected Annual Job Opening Georgia. National jobs in Georgia (%) 4. Opportunity Job opening.19% of National population 5. Ga Tech BS grad in job market annually 6. Ga Tech BS grad in GA. jobs 7. Annual shortage to meet projected job needs in Georgia 8. Annual shortage to meet opportunity job needs in Georgia CE 11, = = 20 EE 12, = = 292 ME 7, = ( 18) = 129 Notations and footnotes: CE = Civil Engineering; EE = Electrical and Electronic Engineering; and ME = Mechanical Engineering 1, 2 and. Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook Edition 4. Opportunity Job Opening is calculated. US Census data show that Georgia s population in 2008 was.19% of the national population. Georgia s population increased at a rate of 18.% from 2000 to 2008 while national population increase was only 8%. Higher rate of increase in Georgia population is projected for the next 10 years. A conservative figure of.2% (the same as the 2008 percent of the national population) is used to project number of job openings in Georgia by 2016 to reach the national average of percent of engineers. 5. Nearly 4% of Georgia Tech graduates enter graduate degree programs. Therefore this number (66% of BS graduates) is assumed to be those who have taken a job anywhere. For example, the 1998 report, Engineering Education in Georgia: An Updated Needs and Assessment of Supply and Demand commissioned by the Board of Regents stated, that approximately 50 percent of recent bachelor s degree recipients in engineering who had jobs (italics and underline added) after graduation left the state of Georgia for employment Another report confirmed this trend in Thus, assuming that 60% graduates will take a job in Georgia is a very conservative estimate. 6. Georgia Tech enrollment data show that nearly 40% of engineering students are out of state students; thus a conservative figure of 60% of the graduates filling positions in Georgia is used to estimate number of Georgia job filled. A significant number of Georgia Tech BS engineering graduates (some estimates are 50%) take positions out of Georgia. 7. Annual shortage is defined as difference between the total job openings created by new demands plus replacement openings minus the number of graduates in each discipline who do not go to graduate school and take up a job. This is projected for the 10 year period with 2006 as the base year. 8. Georgia is one of the most dynamic states in the country. To reach the national average of engineers employed based on the population will require a very accelerated pace of growth in engineering education capacity in Georgia. 9. Lack of openings for ME is deceptive because the data is highly influenced by job loss in the traditional manufacturing sector. However, UGA s proposal for a BS degree in ME is clearly focused on the emerging bio based growth industries, e.g., bio energy, bio materials and bio pharmaceutical manufacturing and products. Additionally, these bio based industries are unlikely to be moved offshore due to the need for large sources of biomass and the economics of transporting biomass overseas for manufacturing emerging bio based products. Page 7 of 7

14 Formal Proposal for B.S. Mechanical Engineering University of Georgia Proposal for Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Institution: University of Georgia Date: November 21, 2008 College/Unit: Faculty of Engineering Name of the Proposed Program: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Degree: B.S.M.E. Major: Mechanical Engineering Starting Date: Fall 2011 Prepared by the Faculty of Engineering: Nadia Kellam, Faculty of Engineering; Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering (Chair) Timothy Foutz, Faculty of Engineering; Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering

15 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Program Abstract Objectives of the Program Justification and Need for the Program Procedure Used to Develop the Program Curriculum Inventory of Faculty Directly Involved Outstanding Programs of this Nature in Other Institutions Inventory of Pertinent Library Resources Facilities Administration Assessment Accreditation Affirmative Action Impact Degree Inscription Fiscal and Enrollment Impact and Estimated Budget APPENDICES A. Undergraduate Course Descriptions... 1 B. Scholarship, Publications and Professional Activities of the Faculty Directly Involved

16 1. PROGRAM ABSTRACT Provide in a one or two page abstract a summary of the proposed program. This section should be written in a manner suitable for presentation to the Board of Regents and should briefly state the objectives of the program, identify the needs which the program would meet, and include information related to costs, curriculum, faculty, facilities, desegregation impact, enrollment, etc. The objective of this proposal is to offer the Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Georgia (UGA) to prepare engineers for meeting Georgia s increasing technological demands. Graduates of this program will contribute to Georgia s economic development, advance its competitive edge globally and contribute to improvement in the quality of life. Specifically, the objectives of the proposed degree are to graduate engineers that are capable of entering careers in the following areas: 1. The design and manufacture of systems for the generation, storage and use of traditional and alternative energy systems 2. The design, fabrication and testing of machinery components, equipment, and systems for manufacturing, worker safety, and the development of a sustainable economy. The application of mechanical engineering to biological and health systems, including cellular and nano-scale areas The proposed mechanical engineering degree will graduate students ready for successful careers as practicing engineers as well as for graduate work in advanced research degrees, and it will increase Georgia s enrollment capacity to meet the needs of additional Georgia high school graduates seeking careers in engineering. Additionally, these students will have attributes aligned with those of the UGA Engineer, being socially conscious and innovative in addition to being technically excellent. The need to take actions for maintaining technological leadership of the United States is progressively becoming more urgent. Developing cutting-edge technology through cultivating innovation is critically important in the global competitive environment. Engineering education is one of the most important aspects of this innovation-cultivating process. Many states are now recognizing a shortage of engineers and are taking actions to address this urgent problem. For example, in December 2007 the Governor of California announced a program to ramp up engineering education to train 20,000 new engineers to address the shortage of engineers in the state of California In Georgia, as reported by a Washington Advisory Group commissioned by the Board of Regents in 2002, nearly half of all engineering jobs in the state of Georgia are filled by graduates of out-of-state and foreign institutions. The Georgia Department of Labor projected a 14 percent increase for mechanical engineers between 2004 and The U.S. Bureau of Labor had a similar projection of an 11% increase in the national demand over the same period. The demand for engineers with expertise in the design, development of mechanical systems for occupational safety is projected to increase 1% nationally and 14% in Georgia between 2004 and The demand for engineers with expertise in the design of mechanical systems associated with alternative fuels is projected to increase 12% nationally in the next 10 years 1. 1 Identifying and Addressing Workforce Challenges in America s Energy Industry. President s High Growth Job Training Initiative. The US Department of Labor: Employment and Training Administration. March

17 This demand is associated with the growth of the biofuels market which increased nationally from $20 billion in 2006 to $81 billion in The report State Energy Strategy for Georgia indicates that alternative fuel production and green-building design are high priority industry areas for the State. Similar to most engineering fields, job vacancies are being filled by foreign engineers who are generally trained in a traditional way. The need for engineers who can innovate for the future can only be met when we graduate engineers who are educated under a new paradigm proposed in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) report entitled The Engineer of The proposed degree will ramp up engineering education in Georgia for meeting its own needs, and build the nation s capacity and provide incentives for graduating U.S. engineers in this critical area. The UGA Faculty of Engineering is uniquely prepared to develop a Mechanical Engineering degree program that meets the expectations of the NAE report. Engineering graduates in the 21 st Century must be technically competent and dedicated to the improvement of humankind. UGA is the only university among top ranked public research universities in the nation having the opportunity to design a brand new mechanical engineering degree program at the dawn of the 21 st Century without having to restructure engineering departments or an existing college of engineering. The proposed Mechanical Engineering academic program will be organized to educate engineers for careers devoted to the integration of discoveries from multiple fields and take advantage of multiple disciplines available in the University s liberal arts environment. UGA, as one of the premier liberal arts institutions in the region, provides an enriching environment in this regard. UGA already has all necessary academic units and complementary engineering programs in computer systems engineering, environmental engineering, biochemical engineering, biological engineering, and agricultural engineering to support this proposed degree program. UGA faculty and academic resources will support needs for the degree; however, eight to ten new faculty and nineteen new courses in the targeted Mechanical Engineering areas will be needed. Especially important to this program are UGA s strong programs in bio-sciences and bio-based applied sciences and engineering. The approach for building this degree proposal has been to leverage UGA resources and complement engineering programs of other institutions to meet Georgia s needs for practicing engineers. The new mechanical engineering program will bridge a wide variety of application domains especially for the future bio-based economy. The degree program will require approximately 20,000 sq. ft. of additional teaching laboratory space as well as additional appropriate support staff. This new B.S. degree is projected to have 150 majors in its fourth year. UGA has a very strong commitment to recruiting students from underrepresented groups. Under the leadership of President Michael Adams the University has made significant progress. This program will actively recruit students and faculty from the underrepresented groups and build partnerships with historically Black Colleges and Universities to advance this mission. UGA already has more than 50 percent women students who will be targeted for this degree program, especially for bio-based sustainable systems that are in the environmental area, which research has shown attracts more women and underrepresented minorities. 2 Clean Energy trends 2007 State Energy Strategy for Georgia. Governor s Energy Policy Council. December 14, 2006.

18 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM List the program objectives and indicate how they are related to the mission and strategic plan of the institution, as filed with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Planning. The objective of this proposal is to offer the Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) by the University of Georgia s (UGA) Faculty of Engineering to prepare engineers for meeting Georgia s increasing technological demands. Graduates of this program will contribute to Georgia s economic development, advance its competitive edge globally and contribute to improvements in the quality of life. Specifically objectives of the proposed degree are to graduate engineers educated for careers in the following areas: 1. The design and manufacture of systems for the generation, storage and use of traditional and alternative energy systems 2. The design, fabrication and testing of machinery components, equipment and systems for manufacturing, worker safety, and the development of a sustainable economy. The application of mechanical engineering to biological and health systems, including cellular and nano-scale areas The proposed degree will graduate students ready for successful careers as practicing engineers as well as entering graduate programs for advanced research degrees and will increase Georgia s enrollment capacity to meet needs of additional Georgia high school graduates seeking careers in engineering. UGA is a land-grant and sea-grant university with state-wide commitments and responsibilities for higher education. It has a unique social contract with the citizens of Georgia to provide educational opportunities and conduct studies in engineering for improving the quality of life, while committing to extend knowledge and technology through it public service and outreach mission. UGA s Strategic Plan for the First Decade of the 21 st Century includes Comprehensive Engineering: A Strategic Institutional Initiative with the goal of establishing a new unit and initiating academic studies in several use-inspired engineering areas. An important aspect of the Strategic Plan was the creation of a new engineering unit that does not pursue a "boilerplate" model with pigeonholed departments, but rather implements an evolutionary approach which is primarily driven by and focused on meeting societal needs. In this approach, engineering programs should demonstrate two attributes: 1) the engineering graduates should be able to address societal needs, and 2) the unit should be able to achieve success because of the desired excellence. The UGA Faculty of Engineering models this approach and was established on October 1, 2001, and in accordance with the Strategic Plan, new academic degrees have been added progressively to meet Georgia s needs in engineering education. This proposal for a Mechanical Engineering degree is also inspired by the same goals and it not only meets UGA s Strategic Plan, but also serves USG Strategic Goals as follows: USG Strategic Goal 1. Excellence in undergraduate engineering education is achieved by educating UGA engineers in a liberal arts environment. All UGA students will have 4

19 an enhanced undergraduate experience as they will understand and interact with students in other professions, students whom are likely to be a part of their life-long work environment. USG Strategic Goal 2. The proposed BSME degree will add enrollment capacity to meet the increasing enrollment demand in USG institutions and it will fulfill the need for additional U.S.-educated engineers in Georgia as well as in the nation. USG Strategic Goal. The BSME graduates will be prepared as practicing engineers who will create technology and solutions that contribute to economic development. Graduates will also be ready for advanced graduate work leading to research careers. The mechanical engineer s domain of application is ubiquitous and by focusing on the energy industry, nanotechnology, biosystems, manufacturing, sustainability, and worker safety, the graduates of this program will position Georgia to compete locally and globally. USG Strategic Goal 4. By selecting the focus areas within mechanical engineering with the greatest current demand and with the greatest potential for demand, instead of directly duplicating other engineering programs, the proposed degree will complement and create an environment for forging partnerships with the state s other education agencies. UGA has an extensive network of partnerships with governmental agencies, private industries, businesses and USG institutions. This program will leverage these partnerships for enhancing the educational experiences of students and faculty. Finally, based on the U.S. Department of Labor statistics, the median salary for a mechanical engineer is $69,825, among the highest average for any engineering discipline.. JUSTIFICATION AND NEED FOR THE PROGRAM a. Indicate the societal need for graduates prepared by this program. Describe the process used to reach these conclusions, the basis for estimating this need, and those factors that were considered in documenting the program need. Thomas Friedman in his highly acclaimed book The World is Flat highlights staggering statistics showing how far the U.S. trails the world in meeting its science and technology needs. Societal need for graduates of science and engineering has been a concern of policy makers and educators for many years and now this concern is exacerbated with advances in China and India. Foreign graduates are being sought for high-paying, knowledge-based jobs or the work is being outsourced because of a lack of qualified U.S. educated engineers. In his more recent publication, Hot, Flat and Crowded, Mr. Friedman takes a look at the rapid changing of the world through climate change, population growth and globalization. In this 2008 book, he urges the U.S. to become a world leader in developing green technologies needed for the coming era he calls the Energy-Climate Era. Without becoming a leader in these technologies, he fears that the U.S. will be shunted aside by other nations. The need to take actions for maintaining the technological leadership of the United States is progressively becoming more urgent. Developing cutting-edge technology by cultivating innovation is critically important in this competitive environment. 5

20 Engineering education is one of the most important aspects of this innovationcultivating process. Many states are now recognizing a shortage of engineers and are taking actions to address this urgent problem. For example, in December 2007 the Governor of California announced a program to ramp up engineering education to educate 20,000 new engineers in order to address the shortage of engineers in California. In Georgia, as reported by a Washington Advisory Group commissioned by the Board of Regents in 2002, nearly half of all engineering jobs in the state of Georgia are filled by graduates of out-of-state and foreign institutions. The Georgia Department of Labor projected a 14 percent increase for mechanical engineers between 2004 and The U.S. Bureau of Labor had a similar projection of an 11% increase in the national demand over the same period. The demand for engineers with expertise in the design, development of mechanical systems for occupational safety is projected to increase 1% nationally and 14% in Georgia between 2004 and The demand for engineers with expertise in the design of mechanical systems associated with alternative fuels is projected to increase 12% nationally in the next 10 years 4. This demand is associated with the growth of the biofuels market which increased nationally from $20 billion in 2006 to $81 billion in The report State Energy Strategy for Georgia 6 indicates that alternative fuel production and green-building design are high priority industry areas for the State. Similar to most engineering fields, job vacancies are being filled by foreign engineers who are generally trained in a traditional way. The need for engineers who can innovate for the future can only be met when we graduate engineers who are educated under a new paradigm proposed in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) report entitled The Engineer of The proposed degree will ramp up engineering education in Georgia for meeting its own needs, and build the nation s capacity and provide incentives for graduating U.S. engineers in this critical area. The 1998 Board of Regents report on Engineering Education in Georgia identified that fewer than two-thirds of Georgia high school graduates with an SAT score of over 1100 who had declared engineering as their first choice for college enrolled in an engineering degree program in Georgia; over one-third went out of state for their higher education. In the following nine years while USG total enrollment increased from nearly 200,000 to 270,000 students, a nearly % increase, there was only a 15% increase in the number of new students admitted to engineering programs at USG institutions. Now USG is strategically preparing to expand its capacity by up to 40% to serve an additional 100,000 students by Additionally, the 1998 BOR report accurately projected a substantial increase in graduating high school students from 1998 through 2007 which has only exacerbated the situation. These trends suggest that as many as one-half of Georgia high school graduates interested in and qualified for an engineering degree either currently do not or soon will not have the opportunity to enroll in an engineering degree program at a USG institution. The dilemma for us on how to provide additional engineering educational opportunities for the increasing number of high school graduates and provide engineers for highpaying and high-impacting jobs in a technology-savvy future can be addressed by adding capacity at UGA for educating engineers. The proposed BSME degree will greatly benefit Georgia high school graduates by providing them with the opportunity to obtain their engineering education in Georgia and also add to the number of 4 Identifying and Addressing Workforce Challenges in America s Energy Industry. President s High Growth Job Training Initiative. The US Department of Labor: Employment and Training Administration. March Clean Energy trends State Energy Strategy for Georgia. Governor s Energy Policy Council. December 14,

21 individuals practicing engineering in Georgia s workforce in promising areas of health, energy and bio-based industries. These conclusions have been reached through a deliberate process of studying the current state of engineering education in the state and country, future trends and needs of society, the role of the U.S. in the knowledge-based society and global economy for high-impacting jobs and markets, the need of the state for economic development and the role of UGA as the state s flagship university in economic development. b. Indicate the student demand for the program in the region served by the institution. What evidence exists of this demand? Georgia needs engineers and currently relies on immigration from other states and other countries to fill nearly half of all engineering jobs in the state. As stated in the previous section, fewer than two-thirds of Georgia s 1998 high school graduates with a SAT score of over 1100 who had declared engineering as their first choice for college enrolled in an engineering degree program in Georgia; over one-third went out of state for their higher education. In the following nine years while USG total enrollment increased from nearly 200,000 to 270,000 students, a nearly % increase, there was only a 15% increase in the number of new students admitted to engineering programs at USG institutions. Now USG is strategically preparing to expand its capacity by up to 40% to serve an additional 100,000 students by The recent and projected substantial increase in the number of Georgia high school graduates portends an even greater demand. These trends suggest that as many as one-half of Georgia high school graduates interested in and qualified for an engineering degree will not have the opportunity to enroll in an engineering degree program at a USG institution. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Statistics, reported that nationwide 225,800 mechanical engineers were employed in Long-term occupational projections for Georgia reports,290 mechanical engineers employed in 2004 and projected a 14% increase between 2004 and While the national growth projection for all mechanical engineering positions is only 4% (or 9,72 jobs by 2016), the national growth projection for mechanical engineers working in food and worker safety is projected to grow by 14% and for mechanical engineers working in the alternative energy industry is projected to grow by 12%. A projected reduction in mechanical engineering positions occurs primarily in the durable goods manufacturing area (an 8% decrease in growth or 10,14 jobs nationally) and is attributed to the shifting of the manufacturing industry to other countries. UGA s strengths as a comprehensive university and its extensive leadership in many areas affecting this state s economic and human development will provide a unique opportunity for students enrolled in the proposed degree program. They will have an opportunity to learn to integrate discoveries from many different disciplines in ways that provides futuristic technological solutions. c. Give any additional reasons that make the program desirable (for example, exceptional qualifications of the faculty, special facilities, etc.) A 2000 strategic institutional initiative for the first decade of the 21 st century of UGA is to establish Comprehensive Engineering at UGA. This is an innovative approach to prepare students for careers devoted to integration of discoveries from multiple 7