Summer 2007

Dear Friends of the COE,

Members of our faculty, leadership team, and advisory council recently completed a fifth year review of the College’s strategic plan, which was officially implemented in 2002. Any form of retrospection is a healthy exercise for an organization, particularly when related to measurable strategic goals. There was wide-spread agreement that we’ve made great strides in reaching many goals ahead of schedule and are on course for others. Still some goals remain a challenge, but on balance our review was very satisfying.

Also during this review, there was a consensus that, given our recent accomplishments, we should concentrate on “adding value” to our curriculum. This simple, succinct phrase captures what we have been moving towards for several years, though perhaps with less focus.

MSU has literally been a national leader in teaching engineering fundamentals, as shown by our graduates’ FE exam pass rate. However, industry and educational leaders now recognize the growing importance of our programs’ value-added aspects.

In previous issues of this newsletter, I have discussed the National Academy of Engineers (NAE) concept of the “engineer of 2020.” I am proud that MSU was ahead of the curve on such concepts and that our faculty recognized the need to enhance the student experience beyond traditional subjects. Initially under the banner of “multi-disciplinary design” and later, and more comprehensively, as “MSU Engineer of 2010,” we’ve continued to work towards the goal of providing students meaningful experiences beyond the fundamentals.

Such ideas are catching on at other top engineering schools as well, due to the position of the NAE and others. Some refer to creating the “multi-dimensional engineer” or “trans-disciplinary engineer.” I personally appreciate the Boeing concept in which they expect their engineers to be “systems integrators.” In general, this means that they better understand the business environment, technical trade-offs in complex product or system design, and even that they appreciate entrepreneurship.

Regardless of the term we use, the theme is irrefutable — we must educate an engineer who will succeed in the global economy.

Graduating students well-grounded in the fundamentals is an important requisite, but the fundamentals are rapidly becoming a commodity — one that can be purchased over the Internet (often from providers overseas) or from technicians using increasingly sophisticated software.

Now is a particularly relevant time to review and modify our strategic goals. Again, I’m very pleased with where we are and am extremely excited that our faculty are helping lead the way in adding real value to modern engineering education. Please follow our progress. Our strategic plan and related documents are available on our Website. As always, I welcome your valuable feedback.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Marley, Dean