The College of Engineering has launched a website for its new strategic plan, Wolf Pack Innovation, which focuses on both academics and research. The plan, developed over the past year with input from national and regional stakeholders, is a response to the rapidly changing landscape of the engineering and computer science fields as well as the evolving needs of students and employers. See Wolf Pack Innovation: Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
“Innovation is at the core of what we do, whether it’s in the area of academics or research,” College of Engineering Dean Erick Jones said. “Our college aspires to provide a cutting-edge education to tomorrow’s engineers as well as produce the research that leads to global breakthroughs.”
The plan is built around five operational pillars: student success, student engagement, global excellence, a community of scholars and research. Research is divided into five major focus areas:
- Resilient supply chains, lithium and critical materials
- Equitable infrastructure
- Cyber-protected information and communication technology
- Sustainable, net-circular, green and recyclable world
- Unmanned vehicles
Plan development began in November 2022, with Grant Thornton advisory firm convening a select group of external stakeholders, including federal agencies, Association of American Universities (AAU) engineering deans and National Academies of Engineering members. A second workshop, conducted by Association Dynamics consulting firm, occurred in March 2023 with a group of in-state stakeholders, including NSHE regents, industry leaders, members of K-12 institutions, community colleges, on-campus faculty, staff, students and alumni.