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THE DEANS' MESSAGE |
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THE COLLEGE'S MISSION: To educate and prepare men and women to contribute as engineers and citizens through the creation, integration, application and transfer of engineering knowledge. THE COLLEGE'S VISION: To be, and be recognized as, a world-class college of engineering that provides an excellent learning experience, learning community and learning environment in a leading research university. Interdisciplinary "interaction"--A strategic goal
In addition to a solid foundation in the fundamentals of an engineering discipline, engineers of tomorrow will require broader interdisciplinary education and knowledge as they address an ever-increasing variety of needs and opportunities in industry and society. Interdisciplinary interaction is the key to rapid knowledge advancement. It represents the future, as teams of engineers, scientists and leaders from other disciplines create new areas of research. A few decades ago, new fields and disciplines were created by "fission" of existing fields as disciplines became more specialized. Today, as a result of the in-depth knowledge and the engineering tools we have created within those specialties, new fields and disciplines are being created by "fusion," as knowledge and tools from multiple disciplines are brought to bear on a given area. Numerous examples of this change are evident at the College of Engineering--biotechnology, nano-technology, information technology and materials science--to name a few. Throughout this report, you will encounter examples of how our faculty members have formed strategic alliances with scientists and engineers in disciplines outside their own to expand engineering knowledge and offer unique learning opportunities to our undergraduate and graduate students. This report also includes examples of strategic partnerships between the College of Engineering and the School of Business. The joint effort of faculty and students from engineering and business to transfer technology developed at the university to improve the quality of life and the national economy illustrates the fading of the boundaries between these areas. One example is the rapid advance in electronic business transactions and supply-chain management ("E-commerce") made possible by the digital technology revolution. To respond to these new demands and directions in the field, we are finalizing a detailed strategic plan for the college. This ambitious plan focuses on five strategic objectives:
As stated in our mission, our purpose is to provide our students with an excellent education. Their learning experience will be greatly facilitated by our research leadership. In addition, we want to develop and transfer technology from our research results for the benefit of society and the nation. We also want to receive appropriate recognition for our educational and technological accomplishments. Our strategic plan is aggressive, and we must challenge ourselves to increase our extramural support to find the significant resources that will be required. We must also improve our internal efficiency to realize this plan. New college facilities to advance our strategic goals This year the college took a giant step toward obtaining the facilities needed to enable us to meet our strategic goals. Groundbreaking for the long-awaited Engineering Centers Building (ECB) occurred on June 20. With 135,000 assignable square feet, the ECB will make a significant improvement in space for research, including important new facilities such as the Oscar F. Gusloff NanoMaterials Laboratory and the Edwin E. Bryant NanoFabrication Laboratory. It will also provide a home for our new Department of Biomedical Engineering, student organizations and Engineering Career Services.
Our students are excited about the new student facilities in the building, which include the Phillips Discovery Center, the Tong Student Leadership Auditorium, the Myers Student Automotive Center, and the Yu Innovation Laboratory. We share their excitement and look forward to the completion of the facility in 2002. We have also begun intensive planning and fund-raising for a $33 million renovation and addition to the Mechanical Engineering Building. Renovation is possible at this time because the new Engineering Centers Building offers the opportunity for surge space to house the ME Building occupants during the project. Of the total cost, $23 million is to be funded by the state of Wisconsin. The college must raise the remaining $10 million in gift funds to take advantage of this one-time opportunity to update this pre-World War II building, which has not undergone a major renovation since its construction in 1930. The sawtooth structure in the building's center, which was built in 1920, will be replaced with a three-story addition to create a facility for 21st century engineering. This addition will provide 35,000 assignable square feet and alleviate a space deficit for the current occupants of the building, which include mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and engineering physics faculty and students. The new and remodeled space is crucial to providing a high-quality educational experience for both undergraduate and graduate students. Without renovation, many of the facilities in the building will not be able to fully support modern education and research activities. The renovated facility will be of great importance to positioning the mechanical and industrial engineering departments for greater national visibility and prestige. Improved facilities for research will enhance the ability of these departments to attract the best faculty and graduate students. The impact of new facilities will also be felt in other disciplines, since many students across the college take classes and use laboratories in the building. A year of honor and achievement We began this year sharing a sense of excitement with the new millennium. Although the first year of the new millennium has not yet drawn to a close, our faculty and students have already shown that they intend to insure that our college makes an impressive mark in the new century. They have demonstrated more achievements and received more honors than I have room to list here, but I would like to share a few examples:
Thanks to our partners in excellence Our achievements in the past year and our ambitious plans for the future are possible in part because of some very special partnerships. The help of industry, alumni and friends gives us a valuable margin of excellence in our research, education and extracurricular programs. On behalf of our faculty, staff and students, I would like to thank them for their confidence in us.
Together we will continue to build an engineering college recognized as one of the very best, graduating students with strong fundamental problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills, committed to continuing education and lifelong learning.
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he year 2000 annual report illustrates our commitment to working
across traditional disciplinary boundaries. With continued rapid
technology advances, boundaries between traditional disciplines are
disappearing. Engineers will increasingly be asked to work in
interdisciplinary teams to design solutions to increasingly complex
problems.
Copyright © 2000 University System Board of Regents
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Published: September 2000 |
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