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 From the DeanThe College of Engineering has much to celebrate. We continue to experience increases in the number of undergraduate and graduate students entering our programs. This fall, enrollment is up nearly 3.5 percent, reflecting an increasing awareness that Iowa State is one of the best places in the U.S. to receive a quality, affordable education. Our graduates continue to be in great demand, a fact that is corroborated by another phenomenal year in our career services area, which reported increases in several activities including Career Fair participation, student interviews, co-op and internship participation, and employment in professional positions. Our national rankings remain strong. We are among the top engineering programs in the nation, according to both the American Society for Engineering Education and the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges Guide. We continue to offer our students world-class facilities; this summer, we formally opened the C6 virtual reality lab in Howe Hall, an event that captured significant media attention including a profile on a national morning news show. Most recently, we realized the efforts of two years of hard work and planning when we hosted a team from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The initial recommendations of the team appear very positive for all programs. They identified a number of college strengths and commented favorably on our collaborative continuous-quality-improvement spirit. Indeed, we have accomplished a great deal in recent months, but there is still much for us to do. I am convinced that we must take aggressive and proactive steps to make the Governor and legislature realize the importance of this college to the future of our state and make it clear that strong support is essential. Increasingly, our attention must be focused on how our college can help the state make a transition to the New Economy. To succeed in the 21st century, Iowa must develop high-paying, knowledge-based jobs; support technology that can be transformed into wealth; and create an attractive environment for knowledge workers. Iowa State’s College of Engineering can play a vital role in these efforts. In fact, we are in the process of putting together an aggressive action agenda that shows how we can support these New Economy activities. You will be hearing more about our efforts in the future, and I hope you will share your thoughts on these issues with us. A more comprehensive discussion of the college’s role in the New Economy can be found in Dean Melsa’s Annual Address to Faculty and Staff. It is available online at www.eng.iastate.edu/ convocation/fall.conv.html. Hard copies are available by calling Kim Stephens, 1-515-294-1800.  |
