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Paul Penfield, Jr.Dugald C. Jackson Professor
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turf n, . . . 4 a: territory considered by a
teenage gang to be
under its control b: a sphere of activity or influence
[ turf n, . . . 5: corny acronym with just a hint of truth ]
Some dimensions to consider in thinking about your
department:
| T | echnical domain | ||
| U | niversity mission | ||
| R | esearch style | ||
| F | ocal length |
Where is your department along these axes?
How can one academic department differ from another?
1. Context and objectives.
2. Success in meeting these objectives.
Context and objectives
Multi-dimensional space
Can be rationally discussed and decided upon
Excellent departments can exist anywhere in this space . . .
but some areas offer inherent advantages.
Success in meeting objectives
This distinguishes excellent departments from others.
What is quality?
Fitness for intended purpose.
Help your students be successful individuals
. . . in both their personal lives and their careers
They need (this is my list -- what is yours?)
Personal strength and confidence
Understanding of human nature
Social skills
Communication skills
Global perspective
Independent learning ability
Leadership skills
Creativity
Depth
Technical breadth
Engineering sciences
They will have multiple, unpredictable career paths.
Where is your department along these axes?
| --> | T | echnical domain | |
| U | niversity mission | ||
| R | esearch style | ||
| F | ocal length |
Any point in this multi-dimensional space is OK.
Excellent programs can exist anywhere.
Information or Energy
This was once called "light current" or "heavy current."
Similar but different axes
Electrical or System
Physics-oriented or Math-oriented
Digital or Analog
Specialties: Planned or Opportunistic
Discipline or Sector
Are you defined by skills or by the industry you serve?
Ocean Engineering, Aeronautics, Urban Studies, . . .
Inclusive or Exclusive
Historically EE has been inclusive. Just look at IEEE.
How will you deal with new substrates for computation?
Molecular, biological, quantum, . . .
EE or ECE or CE or EECS . . .
Most think so.
Almost all EE departments have CE or CS activities.
Graduates need both EE and CS.
Modern products are information-intensive.
Functionality can be realized in hardware, software, etc.
Designers need to optimize across moving boundaries.
Research respects no boundaries.
CS ideas inform EE research and vice versa.
EE and CS face the same fundamental limit.
Among engineering disciplines, EE is blessed:
Simple components (R, L, C, gate, . . .)
Linear connection laws (Maxwell, Kirchhoff)
Models accurate over wide dynamic range
Low manufacturing cost
What is it that limits an electrical system? Complexity.
Software is man-made; no manufacturing, distribution cost.
What is it that limits a software system? Complexity.
Where is your department along these axes?
| T | echnical domain | ||
| --> | U | niversity mission | |
| R | esearch style | ||
| F | ocal length |
Any point in this multi-dimensional space is OK.
Excellent programs can exist anywhere.
Local or Global
Or state, national, regional
Residential or Commuter or Distance
Associates or Bachelors or Masters or Doctors or Lifelong
Special Aspects or Not
Land grant; Religious tradition; Urban campus; . . .
General or Professional
Do your programs benefit from the rest of your institution?
Commercial or Not-for-profit
Will there be for-profit universities in the future?
Perhaps enabled by new technologies?
Education or Multi-purpose
Are non-education activities prominent?
Athletics -- who is served?
Public service, e.g., agricultural extension
Faculty consulting, starting companies, composing operas, . . .
Efficient or Creative . . .
.edu not equal .com
Company mission:
Make money
. . . without causing social harm
University mission:
Make the world a better place
. . . without losing money
What business practices are appropriate for universities?
The public and the government do not know.
Neither do universities.
Who is the "customer?"
In business, customers are paramount because they bring in what
is valued most, namely money.
What is the corresponding constituency for universities?
How are efficiency and creativity balanced?
TQM, re-engineering
or some other management technique du jour
Intellectual Property licensing
IP comes from both research and teaching.
Greed can poison the intellectual atmosphere.
Need-blind or Need-based Admissions
Should economic competition prevail in admissions?
The U.S. government thought so in the 1980s:
Government considered scholarships a discount.
Universities said they were dispensing charity.
The government won. Anti-trust suit stopped some practices
that had supported need-blind admission.
Should universities subsidize wealthy students?
This topic is timely:
Consent decree will expire in May 2001.
How is your department affected? (another axis)
Where is your department along these axes?
| T | echnical domain | ||
| U | niversity mission | ||
| --> | R | esearch style | |
| F | ocal length |
Any point in this multi-dimensional space is OK.
Excellent programs can exist anywhere.
For faculty
Research keeps you sharp.
Research is fun.
For students
Research demands independent creative thinking.
Research provides a motivational context for learning.
For university
Research is exciting.
Research brings prestige.
Research pays off in IP income.
Research reveals the future, so it can be taught.
For sponsors
Research trains graduate students.
Research produces results.
Aren't research results really just by-products?
Dominant Activity or None
Don't forget the needs of undergraduates.
Research or Teaching
Not "Research or Education"
Applied or Fundamental
Basic research can have unexpected applications.
Applications expose fundamental unanswered questions.
Sponsors
Government or Industry
Civilian or Military
Proprietary research: Yes or No
Issues:
Deliverables
Intellectual Property
Publication Restrictions
Secrecy in the Academic Environment
Where is your department along these axes?
| T | echnical domain | ||
| U | niversity mission | ||
| R | esearch style | ||
| --> | F | ocal length |
Any point in this multi-dimensional space is OK.
Excellent programs can exist anywhere.
Time: Long-range or Short-range
Employers want immediate usefulness.
Students are starting 40-year careers.
Curricular Material: Contemporary or Eternal
Contemporary technology
Sciences that are important today
Sciences that will be important tomorrow
Engineering context today
Engineering context that will prevail tomorrow
Awareness: Inward or Outward
The What-and-How or the Why
Leaders understand the significance of what they do.
Balance: Technical Education or General Education
What does the successful person need?
What does the citizen need?
What does the creative engineer need?
Where is your department along these axes?
| T | echnical domain | ||
| U | niversity mission | ||
| R | esearch style | ||
| F | ocal length |
Any point in this multi-dimensional space is OK.
Excellent programs can exist anywhere.