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| Home : Volume 33 : Spring 2007 : | |
| PINPOINT: A message from the dean | |
Dean Paul S. Peercy (Large image) |
The College of Engineering is leading a transformation in engineering education to meet the challenges of an increasingly global and interdisciplinary environment.
This semester, we were honored to welcome National Academy of Engineering President William A. Wulf as the inaugural speaker of the College of Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series, Visions for the 21st Century.
These lectures unite the university community with leaders in technology, education and organizational transformation whose insights transcend disciplines. Their perspectives are designed to inspire faculty, staff and students and enrich the ongoing conversation about shaping the future of the College of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In his lecture, Wulf discussed how accelerating change in the global marketplace has profoundly altered how we design and deliver goods and services. The practice of engineering has changed dramatically in response.
Unfortunately, with rare exceptions, the curriculum and pedagogy by which engineering education is delivered to students has not kept pace with these changes.
William A. Wulf (Large image) |
Wulf challenged us to address how and whom we attract to study engineering and how we retain those students in college and in the profession. He believes we must question the notion that the BS degree alone qualifies engineering graduates to practice engineering and examine the real-world experiences of the faculty we hire and the system of rewards that sets faculty priorities.
He noted that technology has an increasing role in our everyday lives. Global technology issues affect the well-being of our society in such monumental and unexpected ways that we as engineers must also concern ourselves with the technological literacy of all our people, especially those we choose to represent us in making important public policy decisions. View Wulf’s presentation at mediasite.cae.wisc.edu
As you know from reading previous Pinpoint columns, the College of Engineering faculty and staff have been working on these issues for the past few years as part of our engineering 2010 initiative.
The COE 2010 Task Force recently solicited proposals from faculty and staff that address development, implementation, assessment and dissemination of projects that demonstrate major advances in providing a contemporary undergraduate engineering education.
In response to its request for proposals, the task force received an impressive 29 proposals from 128 collaborators with requested funding totaling $1.36 million. Anticipated available funding is $500,000. An eight-member committee of faculty, staff and students from across the college is reviewing the proposals in preparation for making recommendations to the task force. Final funding decisions are expected in early May. A public poster session featuring funded proposals will be held prior to the end of the semester.
This initiative is another important step toward realizing our vision of creating a College of Engineering that is more than the sum of its parts.
Paul S. Peercy, Dean
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Date last modified: 05-Jun-2007
Date created: 05-Jun-2007
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