ECE Mission & Goals

Mission Statement

The mission of the UM Electrical and Computer Engineering Department is to educate students for the professional practice of electrical and computer engineering by offering undergraduate and graduate programs that encourage lifelong learning, foster teamwork and leadership, and promote creative discovery. This is accomplished by a commitment to the highest possible standards of quality in the areas of teaching, research, advising, and service.

Vision Statement

The vision of the department is to continue to expand its role in the state and region as a provider of outstanding undergraduate and graduate education programs in electrical and computer engineering.

Goals

The department strives to maintain high standards by devoting considerable effort to meeting the following long term goals:

  • Student quality. Attract more outstanding students to the program from the state and throughout the region with emphasis on increasing the percentage of female and ethnic minorities.
  • Scholarship and development funds. Build scholarship and development funds from alumni/industry contributions, returned research overhead, and salary release monies.
  • Curriculum. Continue to maintain a curriculum that stresses engineering fundamentals, breadth and depth in upper-division topics, mathematical rigor, and design in a manner that is consistent with the needs of industry and graduate education.
  • Co-op program. Promote the cooperative education program so as to involve a larger percentage of students and industrial participants.
  • Student retention. Increase retention of committed students and facilitate student progress through the curriculum by employing care and diligence in advising.
  • Areas of specialization. Continue to build strength in areas of specialization with emphasis on (1) computer engineering, (2) microelectronics, (3) microwave acoustics, 4) microfabricated sensors, 5) intelligent systems, and 6) communications.
  • Teaching. Continue to strengthen classroom teaching efforts by (1) encouraging participation in education-based workshops and professional societies, and (2) providing promotion/financial incentives and recognition awards for outstanding teaching.
  • Research. Promote scholarly research efforts by (1) encouraging faculty involvement, (2) financing student research from private and government sources, and (3) disseminating findings in refereed journals, conference presentations, short courses/seminars, and in the classroom.
  • Continuing education. Support practicing engineers throughout the region with continuing-education efforts that include workshops, seminars, and short courses.
  • Industrial relations. Develop active relationships with private industry via sponsored research, collaborative efforts, student design projects, and consulting activities.
  • Professional service. Encourage participation in institutional committees, professional organizations, and publication-review processes.
  • Distance learning. Continue to develop the delivery of distance courses to off-campus students and to provide faculty incentives for this program.