Newsletter Archives; Winter 2000
Strategic Planning for the Next Decade
As 1999 drew to a close, the faculty was in the process of approving a strategic plan to chart the department's course into the next century. "This is an ideal time for this effort", says Bill Wilson, Chair of the Department. "Academic departments frequently spend a lot of time looking at detailed, internal operations, but do not spend much time looking at the big picture of where the department is going. Having a new Chair gives us a good opportunity to rethink the directions in which we want to move, and to generate a shared sense of community and vision concerning where we are going. Once we determine how we are going to position ourselves in the academic firmament we can decide how we are going to use our resources to get there."Soon after becoming Chair of the department in March, Professor Wilson appointed a small group of faculty and staff to begin the strategic planning process. This group, known as the Design Group, first met in early May. In addition to Bill Wilson, the members were Professors James Riley, Joseph Garbini, Mark Tuttle, Vipin Kumar and Curt Fritsch, staff.
Steven Shen, Russ Noe, Michael Campion, and Bill Wilson at work on the Strategic Plan.
This team was the core leadership group directing the strategic planning process. It worked all summer collecting input from the department's various constituent groups (current students, alumni, industry, faculty, staff, etc.) and compiling background data, statistics and "snapshot" information on the department as it was in summer 1999.
The 20 member Strategic Planning Committee was composed of nine M.E. faculty, one faculty from Industrial Engineering, one College of Engineering staff member, four industry representatives, one member of a professional organization ( also an M.E. alumnus), and four department staff personnel. The two facilitators completed the team. The Committee met on September 16, October 25 and November 29. This committee's task was threefold: first, to draft mission, vision and values statements for the department; second, to analyze the collected data, and to identify trends impacting the department and key strategic issues and opportunities; and finally, to formulate strategic goals and target objectives.
The Strategic Planning Committee completed its work on November 29, and the draft mission, vision, values, goals and objectives were sent to the faculty. In a meeting on December 16, the faculty accepted the vision and values statements. The mission statement, goals and objectives, were approved on January 6.
Bruce Adee, Ashley Emery, Dina Meske and Phil Malte discuss future directions at Faculty Advance, September 24, 1999.
Members of the Strategic Planing Committee: Professor Cindy Atman, Industrial Engineering, Director, Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT); Michael J. Campion, College of Engineering, Director, Education at a Distance for Growth and Excellence (EDGE); Steven L. Coe*, The Boeing Company; Curt Fritsch, Mechanical Engineering, Assistant to the Chair; Professor Joseph L. Garbini, Mechanical Engineering; Jonathan Halperin, UW Training & Development, Facilitator; Professor Michael G. Jenkins, Mechanical Engineering; Myron Ko*, Procter & Gamble Company; Professor Vipin Kumar, Mechanical Engineering; Professor Norman J. McCormick, Mechanical Engineering; Professor Ann M. Mescher, Mechanical Engineering; Dina Meske, Mechanical Engineering, Undergraduate Academic Advisor; Russell H. Noe, Mechanical Engineering, Supervisor, Integrated Learning Factory and Student Machine Shops; John P. Piety, Mechanical Engineering, Administrator; Chris Rasmussen*, Hewlett Packard; James M. Reichman*, PACCAR, Inc.; Professor James J. Riley, Mechanical Engineering; Robert K. Schneider*, D. Hittle & Associates, Inc., American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Professor I-Yeu (Steve) Shen, Mechanical Engineering; Professor Mark E. Tuttle, Mechanical Engineering; Professor William R. D. Wilson, Chair, Mechanical Engineering; Gail Zucker, Zucker & Associates, Facilitator
* = member of Mechanical Engineering Visiting Committee
