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UB Engineering Growing Bigger and Better
The UB 2020 Strategic plan calls for unprecedented growth of the University through a dedication to eight Strategic Strengths. As UB Engineering is home to many key research and education programs which are central to these strategic strengths, the School is well-placed to be a leader in the University’s development and growth. In fact, we are making great strides in our plan to both expand and improve over the coming years.
According to Dean Harvey Stenger Jr., “Our School has embarked on an ambitious plan over the next five years to increase faculty by 40 and students by 1000. We are committed to increase on our offerings on state-of-the-art topics and to greatly improve our infrastructure.”
UB Engineering is aggressively pursuing new faculty using as many funding sources as possible, including the SUNY Empire Innovation Program, the UB Spousal Accommodation Program, the SUNY High Needs Program, the Strategic Strength hiring plans, and vacancies due to attrition. These funding sources allow us to continue to grow in research and teaching areas that are key to the University’s future, especially in areas identified in the UB 2020 Strategic Strengths plan.
We are expecting twelve new faculty to join the School for the 2007-2008 academic year, bringing our net full-time equivalent faculty count to approximately 150.
In addition, our student population numbers are rising. This year we saw a 21% increase in graduate applications, resulting in an 11% increase in enrollment. At the undergraduate level, we have a 6% increase in the number of freshmen enrolled. We expect to continue this steady growth rate with projected undergraduate enrollments increasing at the rate of 5% each year to match the proposed 30% increase in our classroom, lab and office space in our new building.
In addition to larger numbers, our undergraduate admissions increased significant in terms of student quality as measured by SAT scores. In 2006, the average student scored 1195 on the exam whereas in 2007, the average student score is 1217. Initiatives such as the Dean’s Scholar Program and new efforts in student recruitment have yielded promising results and should continue to spur progress.
New Arenas for UB Engineering: Biomedical Engineering and Service Systems Engineering
UB Engineering is also excited to announce the development of both a new degree program in Service Systems Engineering and a new department of Biomedical Engineering. These new efforts will provide research and education opportunities for students and faculty seeking knowledge in new and growing fields.
The proposed Biomedical Engineering Department will focus on four fields of emphasis: (1) molecular-cellular, cell and tissue engineering; (2) computational biomedical engineering and modeling; (3) biomedical sensors, instrumentation; and (4) diagnostics medical imaging and analysis. This distinct field of education, employment and research is growing and promises to have a positive impact on the student quality and enrollment at UB as well as the region’s economy and health care industry. The department will foster and expand collaborative interdisciplinary research and will take leadership and responsibility for important facilities.
The Service Systems Engineering program in ISE will provide master of engineering degrees for those in the service sector industries such as banking, investment, insurance, health and hospitality. It will provide graduate education for those engineers who will be involved with the planning, organizing, leading and controlling aspects of service enterprises as well as those wishing to advance to managerial positions in service organizations. The 12-month, 30-credit hour program consists of technical and management courses as well as a master’s project. The program begins in the fall 2007 semester with a class of between 25 and 30 students and State Education Department approval is being sought.
New Building Plans Shaping Up
Dean Stenger and other UB Engineering members are working closely with the architectural firm Perkins + Will to develop plans for the new building to be constructed on the North Campus. The group traveled to Boston to view buildings at Boston University, MIT and Harvard to get ideas of what has been successful elsewhere.
The group is currently meeting regularly for the conceptual design phase of the project. The group collected “wish lists” from the departments that will be housed in the new building, EE and CSE, as well as departments that will be affected by the movement of these departments out of their current space. The group is now considering numerous details such as the location of labs in relation to faculty offices and even the best arrangement for faculty offices to promote cooperative relationships between those who regularly work together.
Some of the highlights for the proposed 130,000-square-foot structure include a “clean room” for intricate work with nanodevices; a “cybortorium” with sophisticated communications devices and smart technology; and flexible research labs, classrooms and meeting areas for interdisciplinary work.