The Look College
of Engineering in 2020
Vision
To be a recognized national and international leader in engineering
education, research and service by the public and our peers.
Mission
Consistent with the historical responsibility of a land-grant
university, the mission of the Dwight Look College of Engineering
is to:
Create and develop new knowledge
Disseminate and apply the results of the discovery process
through undergraduate and graduate education programs, outreach
activities and technology transfer, and
Inspire engineers who can apply that knowledge to solve problems
and foster entrepreneurship for the benefit of the citizens
and economy of Texas and the nation.
Context
The 21st Century will be one of technology, with continued dependence
on the capabilities of engineers, computer scientists and technologists.
Texas universities will place more emphasis on these areas,
and the flagships will further develop world class programs.
The Look College of Engineering, already highly ranked and one
of the largest, will meet the challenge and be recognized as
a national and international leader in engineering. It will
include faculty, staff and students of the highest quality,
supported by excellent facilities and powerful outreach to the
rest of the University and beyond. The College has a special
relationship with the System Agencies which strongly contributes
to this success. As this destiny is achieved, the Look College
will have the following characteristics.
Priorities, Goals and Directions
Faculty
In 2020, the student to faculty ratio will be better than
the average of our peers. This will require an increase in
faculty of 25% or a decrease in students of 25%.
This faculty will have a more balanced load between teaching,
research and service.
It will be a truly distinguished faculty, with a majority
of the faculty holding endowed chairs or professorships. At
least 15% will be members of the National Academy.
It will be a faculty that reflects the rich ethnic diversity
of our state and it will be much more balanced between men
and women.
Most important, it will be a talented, distinguished faculty
with an international research reputation, but with equal
dedication to teaching and curricular excellence. It will
be well versed in delivery mechanisms, including the traditional
classroom and those based on telecommunications at a distance.
Its members will be editors of journals, officers of national
societies, winners of research awards, winners of teaching
awards, chairs of conferences, members of international panels
and commissions and will be people who are sought by national
and state leaders for their opinions.
It must be a faculty which is rewarded both financially
and in other ways which make it attractive to be a part of
the Look College of Engineering.
Staff
One of the most important features of our College and indeed,
the University is our staff. In general they are talented and
dedicated and nearly of adequate numbers for today. In 2020,
however, we will live in a community of more than double its
current size, with a strong high tech industrial base. The competition
will be stiff for the educated, trained and developed staff
we will require.
We must pay well, recognize staff achievement, provide
better benefits, encourage continued development and training,
while working diligently to provide a good and attractive
environment in which to work.
Not only will this staff be more talented and better trained,
but it also will be more reflective of the ethnic makeup of
our region.
In 2020, the students of the Look College will be the best
qualified in the state of Texas and some of the best in the
nation.
At the same time, they will be as diverse as the population
of our state.
They will be active in student government and activities
throughout the university.
They will be educated through the most modern and effective
curricula available, with the use of excellent laboratories,
high technology classrooms, and in may cases through faculty
exchange via telecommunications around the world where special
expertise is required.
The undergraduates will constitute about 75% of the student
body and will enjoy curricula infused with team learning,
integrated knowledge transfer across related fields and all
of the best features currently being produced by our NSF Foundation
Coalition.
The graduate students will make up 25% of the student body.
They still will come from all over the world, but an increasingly
large portion will be domestic students. All will be among
the most talented in the nation and, indeed, in the world.
The Look College of Engineering will be one of the most
selective in the United States. This will be a necessity if
the projected student population of about 9200 is to be maintained
and our goals of excellence achieved.
This combination, when tied to a first rate faculty and
excellent research facilities will produce knowledge at the
cutting edge. This will bring further fame and reputation,
both to the University and the College. Undergraduates will
find jobs upon graduation with the highest caliber technology
based firms or will be sought by the very best universities
as graduate students. Graduate students likewise will be sought
by the best research organizations or will be placed as faculty
in best universities.
Many partnerships with industry individually
and in consortium form will continue to be a powerful part of
the efforts of the College and will bring greater opportunity
for our faculty and students in terms of technical liaison and
jobs, as well as strong financial support of our program.
Other outreach will come in the form of partner ships with
other universities, other colleges at Texas A&M University.
Just as one example, the partnerships with other universities
of recent years have found strong support within multiple congressional
delegations, leading to higher chances for success. This will
aid in keeping the Look College among the top schools in research
expenditures.
Sponsorship of short courses and major conferences will occur
to greater degree even than today.
Certainly, a powerful feature of Texas A&M University and
the Look College has been strong relationships with former students.
By 2020 this task will be more difficult because of the much
larger number of former students. One the other hand, this will
present an even greater opportunity to continue and strengthen
these relationships. Again, this will lead to better feedback
into our programs from an extremely valuable constituency. It
will also lead to an even stronger support base for the college
and the University.
Summary Statement
Looking forward to the year 2020, the Look College of Engineering
will be known as one of the best in the nation through its efforts
in teaching, research and outreach or service. This will be accomplished
through the interaction of very high quality faculty, staff and
students, supported by excellent facilities and powerful outreach
to the rest of the University, to other universities, to industry,
to former students and, no doubt, to many others.
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