STRATEGIC PLAN
2018–2019 ACADEMIC YEARS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Mission Vision
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Executive Summary 6 The Challenges Moving Forward 9 1. Enrollment 9 2. Marketing 9 3. Research Program 9 4. Faculty Mix 9 5. UH Sugar Land 9 6. An Enabler for all of UH 9 Strategic Priorities College Faculty Research & Graduate Studies Engagement Advancement Student Success Marketing/Outreach Facilities College of Technology at UH Sugar Land
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The Future 14
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MISSION To become the leading College of Technology in the country To provide relevant educational programs producing graduates that are of value to industry and commerce and to instigate research that is of benefit to the economy The College of Technology is a professional school that provides career-ready graduates supporting industry and commerce in Texas and the nation.
VISION By continually updating and refining its programs in undergraduate, graduate, and research areas, the College of Technology is the premier destination for students and faculty who strive for excellence in technical and commercial fields supporting economic development.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Key to the continuing success of the
College of Technology is an understanding of exactly what a College of Technology is for; its mission and goals are often misunderstood. In many respects, it competes with the other mainstream and traditional colleges for attention. However, as described below, its mission and vision show an organization that is more relevant now than at any time in its 75-year history.
Colleges of technology are relatively unusual in that they are often present in a university that also has colleges of engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and business. Uniquely, the College of Technology at the University of Houston embodies elements from all of these disciplines, but in a different way that allows for relevant and unique programs that are better able to serve the needs of industry, commerce, and government. Therefore, this College of Technology is significantly different from the more traditional colleges.
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL SCIENCES
NATURAL SCIENCES
BUSINESS
ENGINEERING
The four departments that currently make up the College include: Construction Management Construction Management (B.S./M.S.) Supply Chain and Logistics Technology (B.S./M.S.) Technology Project Management (M.S.) Engineering Technology Biotechnology (B.S./M.S.) Computational Health Informatics (M.S.) Computer Engineering Technology (B.S.) Electrical Power Engineering Technology (B.S.) Mechanical Engineering Technology (B.S./M.S.) Network Communications (M.S.)
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Human Development and Consumer Sciences Foresight (M.S.) Global Retailing (M.S.) Human Resources Development (B.S./M.S.) Retailing and Consumer Science (B.S.) Information and Logistics Technology Computer Information Systems (B.S.) Digital Media (B.S.) Information System Security (M.S.) Organizational Leadership and Supervision (B.S.)
The Department of Human Development & Consumer Sciences differentiates the College of Technology at the University of Houston from almost all other colleges of technology. This department provides the real and complete justification for a comprehensive College of Technology by offering the relevant education in business-related topics. Furthermore, this department is legitimate in its own right with education and research in marketing, retail, human resources—and other disciplines that also depend on technology input—a highly symbiotic relationship.
ABET Accredited ETAC
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
ABET Accredited EAC
Operation,, Production Manufacturing Component Company Distribution Opertation Test & Development Systems Analysis Complex Theoretical & Sales Service & Engineering Design Management Evaluation & Design Integration Design & Research Maintenance Analysis
The above diagram created by the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) highlights the differences between a B.S. degree in engineering technology and a B.S. degree in engineering. This is approximately correct, though it does serve to highlight complementary aspects of an engineering technology degree compared to that of an engineering degree.
The Degree is Engineering Technology The Career is Engineering (ASEE™) The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) takes the distinction further with the above statement. Recently, the National Academy of Engineers (NAE) produced a report entitled Engineering Technology Education in the United States (2017), where they state that, “Colleges of technology teach applied engineering.” This statement is very striking and is supported by several recent presentations given at the University of Houston by leaders of the NAE organization, to the effect that engineers do not have enough commercial awareness or industry relevance.
College of Technology at the University of Houston directly addresses these observations and concerns discussed in many forums by the NAE. Additionally, the Human Development and Consumer Sciences (HDCS) department does not merely provide a support role for the STEM disciplines. The department has a decidedly important role in the community with programs supporting merchandising, technology, entrepreneurship. Such programs directly provide input and underpinning for the commercial and business awareness needed by the STEM workforce and, conversely, the STEM topics provide the means to exploit, for example, e-commerce (software engineering, cyber security) and Foresight. The Construction Management department adds to this depth of diversity with its programs and by including Supply Chain and Logistics. Accordingly, the College of Technology is in a position to create more appropriate and distinguishing courses of interest and demand to the economic drivers of Houston and the state, including Engineering Management and Innovation. Hence the College of Technology at the University of Houston is uniquely positioned to provide a relevant and necessary education for the the 21st century, complementing the traditional disciplines of engineering, natural sciences, business, and social sciences.
This is explicitly what education in this College of Technology works to achieve. The breadth of material background in the 7
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THE CHALLENGES MOVING FORWARD 1. ENROLLMENT: Predominantly, the College of Technology has 5. UH SUGAR LAND: The exceptional opportunity offered by taken student enrollment from transfer students – students who have graduated with two-year degrees from community colleges. This mechanism for admitting students should continue and expand as a valuable source of capable students who go on to successful careers. The College must also widen its appeal to high school graduates. The First Time In College (FTIC) students have been increasing in the last few years through improved marketing that addresses the need for STEM disciplines and also the unique range of programs that are offered (a point also raised several times in the NAE publication addressed earlier).
2. MARKETING: The issue of marketing is serious since it has
a bearing on potential employers who do not necessarily have an appreciation or awareness of what graduates of the College can offer. Where employers are already aware, their demand for the graduates is very high. The biggest need is to reach out to prospective new employers. Our visits to corporations have elicited responses along the lines of “I didn’t know you did that” and subsequently participating in the College’s career fairs to hire students.
3. RESEARCH PROGRAM: Currently, the College of Technology
does not have a Ph.D. or formal research program. Several faculty hold joint appointments with other colleges at the University of Houston, allowing them to supervise a Ph.D. student. Nevertheless, a formal research program in the College is essential in going forward. In addition to the more traditional research of STEM and social science specific disciplines, research within the College of Technology can develop a more interdisciplinary role and provide opportunities for full-time working professionals doing research that is relevant to their current employer.
the UH Sugar Land location is waiting to be exploited. Sugar Land/Fort Bend County is courting investment aggressively in the area that can best be supported by the College of Technology. A plan to occupy the space provided is in hand, and the College is looking to expand operations and programs in that location as resources allow and find ways to accumulate those resources through donations and public/private partnerships.
6. AN ENABLER FOR ALL OF UH: As a College, it can have a big-
ger role in supporting the overall mission of the University of Houston, in addition to being successful within the College. The 2017 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac has stated the aim that by 2030 all graduates of Texas schools of higher education “will have marketable skills.” The College of Technology can assist greatly in this goal by orchestrating an undergraduate minor degree providing sufficient, and varied, IT skills for all UH students sufficient for them to have marketable skills by any measurable criteria. The Information and Logistics Technology department can play a leading role in bringing this to fruition. As the second or third largest college at the University of Houston, the College of Technology is very successful at what it does, providing a valuable and useful education to a large student population. This is despite of a lack of distinctive marketing effort to both prospective students and employers. With an organized research program, and a directed image management effort, the future for the College is unlimited.
4. FACULTY MIX: The College of Technology is identified also
by its mix of faculty teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. There are currently (Spring 2018) 44 tenured and tenure track faculty, 21 instructional faculty, and 78 adjunct faculty. Such a large teaching faculty population is noteworthy – the degree programs include instruction from professionals working in the discipline (and with the appropriate and relevant degree backgrounds) and therefore better prepare the graduating students for their careers. With an emphasized priority of a research mission, more research faculty are needed. However, we do need to maintain, and possibly increase, the numbers of instructional faculty who perform an invaluable role in ensuring enough classes are presented for timely graduation of students at all levels. 9
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES COLLEGE 1. Restructure the College to better represent its mission and programs. Justification: The College has grown significantly during the past five years and now has an enlarged mission to include research and develop the Sugar Land campus. With the addition of new programs and renaming/refocusing of existing ones, reorganization is pivotal to the success of the College. It can provide a better platform for marketing to new students and industries and for the new mission of the College. Actions: 1. Look at current programs and their “affiliation” to separate departments and consider an alternative structure that better “markets” those programs. 2. Optimize College bylaws to reflect better the updated priorities of the College. 3. As the College roles adapt to the new mission, consider adapting the current hierarchy in the College to manage better the responsibilities.
FACULTY 1. Increase the number of research-oriented faculty. Justification: The College has a new vision to provide a Ph.D. program and to support the University of Houston Tier One ranking. Actions: 1. With all new faculty appointments, explicitly look for research capability. 2. Adapt the tenure and promotion process to account for the new research mission. 2. Increase the diversity of faculty. Justification: As with all other organizations across the campus, the College needs to maintain and enhance a diverse workforce at all levels. Since faculty is our outward face of the College, we must ensure that all hiring is focused with this in mind. Actions: 1. Provide hiring committees with clear guidance and requirements on hiring processes, utilizing diversity resources across the campus. Recommendations for 10
appointment will require a detailed summary of the search process and clear explanations of how diversity was addressed. 2. Interface with University resources that are available to aid the diversity searches.
RESEARCH & GRADUATE STUDIES 1. Initiate a Ph.D. based research program. Justification: The College currently has a small amount of funded research obtained by faculty who hold joint appointments with departments in other colleges. The College requires its own Ph.D. program so that all tenured and tenure track faculty can create and support Ph.D. students easier. Actions: Create the required documentation for a Ph.D. program and pursue this through the administrative structures of the University and the Texas Commission on Higher Education. 2. Review current master’s degree programs. Justification: A vigorous master’s degree program is essential to support a Ph.D. and research program. A continual assessment of current and future master’s degree programs is essential to this goal. Experience shows that a number of part-time industry-based students will wish to continue with a parttime Ph.D. that will help initiate the supply of students for the Ph.D. program. Actions: A College-wide committee should be formed with representative(s) from each department to review and consider changes. For example: 1. Introduce 30-hour coursework requirement for M.S. programs. 2. Consider implications of a waiver of the GRE requirement especially for our own graduates. 3. Visit with and recruit international students. 4. Offer more reciprocal programs with international partners. 5. Look for more scholarships to support graduate study. 3. Increase the number of individual and collaborative research grant applications and scholarly activities. Justification: The College needs to increase research income dramatically and to show the result of scholarly activity through increased publications at all levels.
Actions: 1. In addition to recruiting new research faculty, encourage collaboration both within the University and outside. 2. Increase journal publications by providing incentives and support. 3. Add this requirement to the annual performance review in addition to considering it in the tenure and promotion process.
ENGAGEMENT 1. Create and maintain a College Industry Advisory Board of the first rank, including senior representatives of leading organizations in the Greater Houston and Texas area that have a direct interest in the success of the College of Technology, and with specific representation from Sugar Land/ Fort Bend County. This should also apply to the individual advisory boards of the departments. Justification: The College needs to increase and deepen its industry partnerships and create a stronger program of alumni engagement. An active Alumni Association is an imperative. Actions: 1. Reach out and visit with leading organizations in the Houston, Fort Bend County, and other areas in Texas. 2. Continue to reach out to industry and commerce across the region to better ascertain their needs for hiring graduates and continuing education. 3. Develop the Alumni Association with events including the annual Philanthropy Dinner, tailgates, mixers, recognitions, and awards programs.
ADVANCEMENT 1. Increase fundraising and philanthropy. Justification: In common with all universities, the College of Technology attempts to do more than the allocated resources allow. The College needs to develop its alumni database and encourage more participation. Current levels of staff support in this area are insufficient and must be addressed. Actions: 1. Seek funds to hire additional Advancement staff. 2. Develop a stronger communications and outreach program to link with College alumni.
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STUDENT SUCCESS 1. Review existing undergraduate and graduate programs to ensure relevance. Continue to develop new programs applicable to the needs of industry and commerce. Justification: The relevance of the degree programs in the College of Technology is essential to its mission. By their nature, the topics will change and advance continually, requiring at least an annual review. Up-to-date curricula will be a useful marketing tool. Actions: Establish department-level committees to conduct reviews annually, which will be shared with Industry Advisory Boards. 2. Enhance the teaching facilities across the College. Justification: The nature of the College’s programs is such that evening and weekend delivery is a necessity. This can be served better by providing access to distance delivery wherever possible. Actions: Install relevant hardware and software as quickly as is practicable and as funds permit. 3. Improve access to high quality academic and career advising. Justification: The College of Technology has a wide variety of programs and admits students with a wide range of abilities. Advice and support from professional advising is essential to be able to assist students in their path to success. Actions: 1. Implement SSC by advisors and faculty to provide early prevention and monitoring. 2. Offer tutoring for hard courses. 3. Reinforce the UHin4 graduation plan. 4. Provide additional mentoring and scholarship by externally funded grants. 4. Develop and maintain the College of Technology’s facilities to ensure an up to date condition of laboratory equipment. Justification: The pace of change in all areas of technology demands that equipment used in teaching and laboratories is updated regularly. Actions: Develop a funding mechanism for replacement of equipment through recurring funds from the University 12
and from philanthropy. Elicit equipment gifts wherever possible.
MARKETING/OUTREACH 1. Increase visibility of the College of Technology at all levels. The College of Technology needs to define and confirm its role in comparison with other colleges and programs. The College must vigorously promote itself within the Houston/Fort Bend/Texas community to increase the numbers of applications to undergraduate and graduate programs. Justification: The College, though successful with current student numbers, is encumbered by a lack of understanding of its true mission and capability. A review of how to best market the College is required. The intention to increase the numbers of student applications at both undergraduate and graduate levels and to support an increase in philanthropy. Actions: Engage with a marketing consultant to help rebrand and market the College of Technology to all community target audiences – inside the University of Houston, K-12, employers, and alumni. 2. To interest, excite, and encourage students at elementary, middle, and high schools in the area to consider careers in STEM and social science disciplines. Justification: In addition to a general marketing campaign, the College needs to engage with K-12 to excite and encourage more students to study STEM disciplines at the college level. Actions: 1. Create outreach programs that include presentations and demonstrations of technology—bring students onto campus, and include Sugar Land. 2. Consider creating a staff position that focuses on outreach and undergraduate recruitment. 3. Meet with economic development agencies in Houston, Sugar Land, and the state of Texas. Justification: The College of Technology takes pride in graduating career ready students. It is therefore essential for the College to work with area economic development agencies to ensure that the product is appropriate to the current and future needs of the economy. Actions: Meet with economic development agencies in the greater Houston and Fort Bend areas, in addition to state agencies in Texas. Whenever possible, invite representatives on to the College Industry Advisory Board.
4. Create and participate in professional-level meetings and conferences to enhance dialogue in the area on topics of interest and relevance to the economy. Justification: The College can play a more significant role in the business community by showing leadership in the creation and participation of technical events that promote technology in the Houston area. This supports the marketing of the College and the economy of the area. Actions: 1. Meet with professional organizations and with Houston area business publications to elicit an interest in collaborating on a Houston technology event. 2. Continue collaboration across the University to produce speaker series events that are marketed also to the community.
FACILITIES
In addition to the priorities described in the prior section: 1. Develop programs specific to the Sugar Land economy and community. 2. Create a Sugar Land advisory board that includes community participants from local industry, commerce, government. 3. Grow the infrastructure in Sugar Land campus to serve the student, staff, and faculty in the area better. 4. Ensure that College outreach programs specifically address Fort Bend County schools and colleges. 5. Form a College committee to seamlessly transition programs to the Sugar Land campus. 6. Introduce new niche programs in Sugar Land. 7. Set up articulation agreements with local community colleges.
1. Review the space needs of the College. Justification: The College has seen dramatic increases in student enrollment for the last five years. The College is about to expand into a new building in Sugar Land. In addition, the College interviewed candidates for 11 new faculty positions in 2018. Actions: A College-wide committee to be formed to look in detail at facilities that are required for the College in its current form and with predicted increases in undergraduate and graduate student enrollment. This should consider space and equipment needs. 1. Secure research labs for the new tenure track faculty to establish their research. 2. Move mechanical engineering technology labs to Sugar Land, opening up extra research labs for the new faculty in T2 building. Investment in new laboratory equipment is a priority.
COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY AT UH SUGAR LAND 13
THE FUTURE
As elements of this strategic plan come to fruition, it is inevitable that this document will become outdated and require regular updating. It is hoped that many of the goals will be achieved in short order, thereby leading toward more focused and justifiable vision for the continued growth and relevance of the College of Technology.
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UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY 4730 Calhoun Road Room 300 Houston, TX 77204-4021 Dr. Anthony P. Ambler, Dean
WWW.UH.EDU/TECHNOLOGY