Message from the Dean I am delighted to present the 2015 Annual Report of Performance Indicators. This document highlights our achievements over the past year and provides data and information that show our Faculty’s progress toward the ambitious goals in our Academic Plan, 2011– 2016. Continuous evaluation against benchmarks and measurable targets is critical to assessing our performance and identifying new priorities that will strengthen our Faculty’s position as the premier engineering school in Canada and our place among the world’s best. In 2014–2015, we achieved significant milestones that reflect the extraordinary learning environment, innovative research and rich student experience at U of T Engineering. We received a record number of applications for our undergraduate programs and admitted the most diverse and accomplished first-year class in our history. Women comprised nearly one-third of entering students — the highest proportion of any first-year engineering class in Canada — and the average entering grade of Ontario secondary school students increased to a record 92.4 per cent. To continue our progress in selectivity and give prospective students an opportunity to demonstrate key engineering qualities, we developed a new, broadbased applications process for those seeking admission for fall 2015. This pilot project — the first of its kind in Canada for engineering schools — uses videos and timed, written responses to give our admissions committee more comprehensive knowledge of each applicant. We also experienced continued growth in our graduate programs in 2014–2015 after surpassing our enrolment goal two years ahead of schedule. This increase brings us closer to our longer-term objective of enrolling three undergraduates for every two graduate students. Our innovative and leading research attracted record government and industry support, including our highestever amount of Tri-Council funding. At the same time, our professors won one-quarter of major honours bestowed on engineering faculty across Canada, three times as many as the next most successful Canadian engineering school. Like our students, our faculty cohort is also becoming more diverse; women comprise nearly one-third of assistant professors, one-quarter of associate professors and 18 per cent of overall faculty. We also conferred the largest number of degrees in our history, preparing more U of T engineers than ever to enter our rewarding profession and join our vibrant global alumni network. We continue to develop programs that prepare new generations of engineering leaders to address complex and emerging global challenges. In 2014–2015, we enhanced
opportunities for undergraduate students to customize their education and develop technical and professional competencies through experiential learning. Examples include the launch of a new Engineering Science major in Robotics, a minor in Nanoengineering and certificates in Communication and Engineering Leadership, as well as more international placements as part of our Professional Experience Year internship program and co-curricular initiatives such as The Entrepreneurship Hatchery. We broadened our graduate programs by developing an MEng in Biomedical Engineering and launching a collaborative graduate program in Engineering Education. We also pursued cross-Faculty and University opportunities to promote multidisciplinary research excellence, foster collaboration and accelerate innovation by establishing the Translational Biology and Engineering Program (TBEP) — part of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research — and the Ontario Centre for Characterization of Advanced Materials (OCCAM). In addition, we ramped up the Toronto Institute of Advanced Manufacturing (TIAM) and the University of Toronto Transportation Research Institute (UTTRI). I am proud of the vibrancy of our engineering community, including our alumni, industry partners, faculty, staff, students and friends. Nowhere has that strength been more evident than in the tremendous support for the Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CEIE), which started construction in June 2015 after years of intense planning and fundraising. The CEIE will inspire a new era in engineering education and research at the University of Toronto by providing a dynamic, creative and multidisciplinary environment that will prepare future U of T engineers to create, innovate and lead. While this report provides a wealth of metrics to assess performance, our tremendous progress is due to something that is not easy to quantify: the commitment, passion and creativity of our faculty and students, supported by dedicated staff and global alumni. I am grateful to all members of our engineering community for their contributions in our pursuit of excellence, and for their outstanding dedication to our Faculty and our students.
Cristina Amon, Dean September 2015
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering | Annual Report 2015