Strategic Plan
(Also refer to the Texas Tech University Strategic Plans and Assessment Reports)
Mission Statement
The Department of Mechanical Engineering educates, conducts research, and disseminates knowledge through nationally recognized academic programs.
Vision Statement
The Department of Mechanical Engineering will be recognized as a top research and graduate ME department in the nation and will be the undergraduate ME department of choice in Texas.
Goals, Critical Success Factors, Objectives
Goal 1. Access and Diversity: Recruit, retain, and graduate a larger, more academically prepared, and diverse student body.
Critical Success Factors:
- 100 graduate students; 40% PhD.
- Enrollment of 500 undergraduates; 10 % in honors program.
- First year retention > 80% and graduation rate of 55%.
- Graduate 80 – 90 BSME’s per year.
- Average SAT of entering freshman to increase to 1200.
- Enrollment of women > 15%.
- Enrollment of Hispanics > 15%; enrollment of blacks > 5%.
- 20 full tuition/fee scholarships available from department.
Objectives:
Objective 1.1: Improve the quality of ME students and the recognition of the program as the program of choice in the state of Texas.
Strategies:
- Provide for increased enrollment and recruitment of more top students including honors students.
- Increase scholarship funds for top students.
- Implement program changes to accommodate increase in honors students, including development of honors-only courses.
Assessment:
- Student quality indicators.
Objective 1.2: Annually increase the diversity of the student body.
Strategy:
- Develop an outreach culture to recruit diverse students.
Assessment:
- Track the diversity of the student body in relation to that of other ME programs in areas with similar demographics.
Objective 1.3: Improve retention and graduation rates.
Strategy:
- Implement student oriented programs (for example, the Pi Tau Sigma Mentor Program) to improve retention.
Assessment:
- Track graduation and retention rates through the university’s statistics.
Goal 2. Academic and Research Excellence: Attain national recognition as a top publicly funded engineering school.
Critical Success Factors:
- Move into top 40 graduate research programs nationally among publicly funded universities.
- $5.0 million per year externally funded research; 2/3 from federal sources.
- Department average of 3 journal articles per year per faculty in rigorously refereed journals.
- Nationally competitive results for citations of faculty research.
- Development of one Center of Excellence generating $2 million/yr in research funding.
- FE Exam pass rate of 90% or greater.
Objectives:
Objective 2.1: Significantly improve our national ranking for graduate programs and research.
Strategies:
- Develop and sustain consistent, substantial research funding from the competitive federal agencies.
- Establish a nationally competitive center of research excellence in Mechanics and Materials.
- Secure $6 million endowment for two chaired professorships.
Assessments:
- Ranking of graduate program.
- External funding.
- Journal publications and citations.
Objective 2.2: Improve the quality and significantly increase the quantity of the graduate student body.
Strategies:
- Develop nationally competitive research/graduate programs in one or more niche areas of current strength: Advanced Vehicle Engineering, MEMS (with EE, Physics), Transdisciplinary Process and System Design Program, Energetic Materials with Pantex/TTU Amarillo, Petrochemical consortium for graduate education and research, Biomechanics.
- Establish several “pipelines” into our graduate program from regional universities and/or industry.
- Implement 150 hour Bachelors/Masters program and recruit vigorously for it.
- Secure $2.5 million endowment for graduate fellowships.
Assessments:
- PhD Graduates.
- Positions taken by PhD graduates.
- Graduate enrollments.
- GRE scores of graduate students.
- Publications co-authored by graduate students.
Objective 2.3: Improve the research culture and the national competitiveness of faculty.
Strategies:
- Establish a “Distinguished Visitors Program” for seminars and longer term visits by distinguished academic researchers.
- Hire 6 new faculty, including endowed chairs, in areas of emphasis.
- Implement faculty reward system that emphasizes national competitiveness in research.
Assessment:
- Measures of faculty research productivity.
Objective 2.4: Broaden & modernize the undergraduate program to ensure future competitiveness.
Strategies:
- Improve delivery and efficiency through effective use of multimedia and internet based instruction.
- Develop one or more new undergraduate “specialty areas,” such as:
Bioengineering
Materials (with ChE)
Manufacturing Engineering
MEMS
Aerospace - Construct new instructional space to accommodate growth in faculty, staff, and students, as per the College of Engineering Master Plan.
Assessments:
- Numbers of specialized “tracks” implemented.
- Additional instructional space available.
Objective 2.5: Develop an undergraduate student culture that results in a pipeline of our top students into the MSME program.
Strategies:
- Publicize 150 hour BSMS program.
- Sponsor activities to impart value of a graduate education.
Assessments:
- Percentage of students continuing on to graduate school.
- Number of graduates of 150-hour program.
Goal 3. Engagement. Build community connections that enhance the quality of life for students and the community.
Critical Success Factors:
- Graduate 10% of students with a service learning designation.
- 30% of Senior Design projects with local industry.
Objectives:
Objective 3.1: To be a contributor to economic and workforce development.
Strategies:
- Maintain the Advanced Vehicle Engineering Program.
- Increase student design project involvement with local industry.
Assessment:
- Number of engineering design projects involved with industry.
Objective 3.2: Foster outreach culture in the department.
Strategies:
- Participate in tours and programs for area K-12 students and others.
- Encourage participation in university’s service learning program.
Assessments:
- Percentage of graduates with service learning designation.
- Service oriented activities performed by student societies.
Goal 4. Technology: Maximize the use of technology in the delivery of services.
Critical Success Factors:
- Create and maintain a quality Internet presence.
- Provide and upgrade a quality PC lab for student use.
- All students will have connectivity to our networks and servers via their own resources.
- Provide for specialty engineering software that students can access in the PC Lab and from their own resources.
Objective:
Objective 4.1: Maintain quality computing infrastructure for students and faculty.
Strategies:
- Negotiate agreements and licenses for specialty software that students can install on their own resources.
- Hire a professionally trained person for website maintenance and for hardware and software support of all departmental computing.
- Implement departmental student email database.
Assessments:
- Degree of interoperability of software.
- Frequency of complaints about the PC Lab.
Goal 5. Partnerships. Build strategic partnerships and alliances to support the teaching, research, and service mission of the College.
Critical Success Factors:
- Generate $100,000 annually from industry to support graduate student stipends.
- Contribute to the College’s development of 5 formal agreements with government labs and federal agencies.
- Increase the number of faculty who are actively advising federal agencies and industry to 10%.
- Increase the number of relationships with 4-year universities to 5.
- Develop at least 2 formal industry alliances.
- Develop at least four close “feeder” ties with regional community colleges.
- Placement of students at government labs (interns plus graduates).
Objective:
Objective 5.1: Establish partnerships that will enhance our research and teaching programs.
Strategies:
- Establish graduate student “pipelines” with regional and other universities.
- Be a key participant in the development of the TTU/Pantex program in Amarillo.
- Develop targeted industry/graduate program alliances (Petrochemical, Process and Systems Design, Advanced Vehicle Engineering).
- Increase exchanges and formal partnerships with SNL and LANL.
- Continue to develop research collaborations with other TTU/TTUHSC departments.
Assessments:
- Graduate enrollments from regional 4-year colleges.
- Research funding through Amarillo branch campus.
- Number of niche graduate programs developed (& enrollment).
- Funding from SNL and LANL.
- Students & faculty placed at SNL and LANL.
- Funding from interdepartmental collaborations.
Goal 6. Human Resources and Infrastructure. Maintain a quality work force and work environment.
Critical Success Factors:
- University implementation of 12-month budgeting process.
- Increase staff support by 1 full-time position.
- Sufficient flexible classroom space (an increase of 75,000 ft2 in the College).
- Increase the amount of space for research facilities to 9,000 ft2 per $1.2M.
- Ability to make 2 strategic hires-$3 million per hire (endowed chairs).
- Provide 1 research assistant or teaching assistant per faculty member.
- Student/faculty ratios in line with national averages.
- Percentage of women/minority hires to be 30% or greater.
- Reach 80% of the faculty registered as Professional Engineers.
Objectives:
Objectives 6.1: Induce College and University to implement policies and processes to allow departments to operate more effectively.
Strategies:
- Push the university to implement twelve-month budgeting.
- Develop a code of ethics and conduct for engineering faculty.
- Revise personnel related OP’s so that they are effective.
Assessments:
- Degree to which chairs can plan autonomously.
- Effectiveness of faculty personnel policies.
Objectives 6.2: Increase resources and improve infrastructure to improve future competitiveness in teaching and research.
Strategies:
- Increase staff support.
- Provide necessary equipment and technology.
- Provide competitive salaries at all levels.
Assessments:
- New staff positions.
- Staff salary data.
Objectives 6.3: Optimize work force and resource utilization.
Strategies:
- Implement reduced teaching loads for new and for research productive faculty.
- Optimize utilization of existing space resources.
- Improve the work environment for staff.
- Increase professional development for all employees.
Assessments:
- Effectiveness of space utilization.
- Faculty productivity.
Goal 7. Tradition and Pride: Enhance the national image of the Mechanical Engineering Department and of the College of Engineering.
The M.E. Department will support the College of Engineering objectives and strategies in this area.
Goal 8. College Development and Marketing: Enhance the fiscal stability through development activities that support students, faculty, and college operations.
Critical Success Factors:
- Department must be named.
$7.5 million cash
$15 million endowment - Establish 2 endowed chairs.
- Increase Annual Giving by 30%.
- Maintain a departmental website that is modern and informative to all departmental constituencies.
Objectives:
Objective 8.1: Build a significant departmental endowment.
Strategies:
- Identify endowments for scholarships, graduate fellowships, and chairs.
- Increase annual giving of alumni.
- Identify and cultivate a major benefactor for the Department.
Assessments:
- Amount of departmental endowment.
- Participation level of alumni giving.
Objective 8.2: Build departmental visibility and recognition in the region.
Strategies:
- Implement promotional and PR activities.
- Design and implement strategic marketing/advertising/promotion campaigns that highlight the Department and its people.
Assessment:
- Frequency of newspaper articles and TV spots.
Goal 9. Accountability: Enhancing planning, performance, assessment, and public accountability.
Critical Success Factors:
- Maintain academic program accreditation.
- Plan and manage 12-month budgeting for ME Department.
- Implementation of faculty reward system based on national competitiveness of performance.
Objectives:
Objective 9.1: Assess academic programs on an annual basis.
Strategy:
- Convene the Departmental Outcomes & Assessment Oversight Committee each fall to implement program assessment.
Assessment:
- As defined in June 2001 ABET report.
Objective 9.2: Develop a planning strategy based on 12-month budgeting.
Strategy:
- Produce a comprehensive annual budget for the department.
Assessment:
- Budgets prepared, approved, and implemented in a timely manner.
Objective 9.3: Implement faculty reward system that recognized nationally competitive faculty strategies:
Strategy:
- Develop reward system that reflects measures of national competitiveness in research. (journal publishing, citations, federal funding).
Assessment:
- National competitiveness measures for faculty.
Strategic Planning Update
The following links provide copies of the Annual Assessment Report and Strategic Planning Update:
http://techdata.irs.ttu.edu/stratreport/Reports/5_540_2007.pdf
TTU, Mechanical Engineering Dept., 7th and Boston, Lubbock, TX 79409
806.742.3451