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Engineering-Graduate 1 September 24, 2010
McNeese State University Institutional Review & Program Prioritization
(Fall 2010)
Academic Program Review
Program Name: Engineering Graduate Program
Degree: Master of Engineering
Department: Engineering
College: Engineering and Engineering Technology
Report Author(s): Jay Uppot, Stanley Klemetson, Nikos Kiritsis with input from the faculty
Date: September 24, 2010
I. External Demand for the Program A. Student Demand: From Academic Program Analysis provided by IR.
Incoming FTF or FT Graduate Student Demand For The
Program (5-Year Trend)
05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 AVG
60 50 90 60 70 66
Enrollment in Program (5-year Trend)
05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 AVG
Total 69 55 108 70 81 77
Freshman N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Sophomore N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Junior N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Senior N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Other Undergraduate N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Graduate (degree-seeking) 69 55 108 70 81 77
Graduate (non-degree seeking) 0 0 0 0 0 0
Engineering-Graduate 2 September 24, 2010
B. Employer Demand: Based on your best knowledge and information, describe employer demand
according to the following chart, defining “current” as within the last 3-5 years. Then, provide any additional evidence or reasoning behind the categorization. Parenthetical examples in chart are a way of thinking about rankings.
Employer Demand (highlight more than one if appropriate)
Current Demand Estimated Productivity Ratio*
Demand Characteristics
• Extremely High • Consistent
• High X • Cyclical X
• Medium X • Trending Upward X
• Low
High to medium depending on the concentration. 2:1
• Trending Downward
Explanation/Discussion (box will expand) A few graduating seniors at McNeese continue full time in the graduate program, but most go to work for local industry, consulting firms, construction firms, governmental agencies, and other businesses where they can start earning an income. Once employed some of them return to work part time on their graduate program. It is generally true that once employed as an engineer, the employer usually covers the graduate school costs for employees who want to pursue advanced degrees. These constitute about 20 percent of the graduate students. The remaining 80 percent are international students, principally in the electrical engineering concentration. The supplementary documentation section includes an industrial map of Southwest LA along with an industrial flow chart. In one-way or another the engineering program supports all of the industries located in the area. Please note that the SWLA with the ship channel is the ONLY area along the Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi, TX to New Orleans with available land next to water. This availability (land with water access) attracts new companies to SWLA every two to three years. The newest additions that are not included on the map are, Sempra LNG, Cheniere LNG, Cameron LNG, the Shaw Group’s modular building manufacturing facility, and currently under the planning phase the Leucadia Corporation gasification plant. An interesting fact is that, the four Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities located less than 80 miles from the McNeese campus are responsible for almost 64 percent of the North American LNG terminal capacity.
*Express numerically to reflect the difference between demand for graduates in the field and rate at which the program produces graduates; e.g. 5:3 demand five for every three we graduate.
C. Community/Other External Demand: Describe the community demand for, or reliance on, the program (e.g. some integral facet of the program performs a community service function such that without the program, the function could not be taken over by some other mix of entities).
• The graduate program is an essential part of the training for advancement needed by engineering employers. Many of the graduate courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening to allow students to fit their courses in with their work responsibilities. This generally
Engineering-Graduate 3 September 24, 2010
allows the local engineers to get a Master’s degree in about five years of attending classes part time.
• Without this program local engineers would not be able to pursue advanced studies in
engineering at universities located further away from their work site. The additional training provided by the graduate program also helps to prepare engineers for their professional engineering registration.
• As our enrollment numbers indicate, there is a strong demand for the program by international
students who want to pursue advance degrees.
• In addition to the program itself, engineering faculty are actively involved in supporting the needs of local industries through the Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering Partnership (LAI/MEP). This group provides seminars and short courses to local engineers who would otherwise have to leave the area for such training. A subset of LAI/MEP is the Process Safety Studies group, in which plant safety personnel from plant in the area meet for training and exchanging of ideas to help ensure the safety of their personnel. A new initiative of this group is to include students in the meetings, as they go through school, so that they have a sense of safety awareness when they graduate.
A 2009 study of the cost savings realized by the local industry by having seminars and workshops at McNeese State University rather than sending employees all over the country is included in the supplementary documentation section. It is estimated that offering only 5 seminars at MSU attended by 202 individuals saved local industry about $368,000 if the seminars were offered in Houston, or about $409K if the seminars were offered elsewhere in the country. Over the past 20 years, approximately 5,000 participants have attended local LAI/MEP workshops saving area industry more than $3.5 million in travel and other expenses. A list of the seminars/workshops offered by LAI/MEP to date is also included in the supplementary documentation section. LAI/MEP has a web page located at: http://www.mcneese.edu/ceet/laimep/ .
LAI/MEP has scheduled the following courses for the near future:
October 28, 2010 Centrifugal and Reciprocating Compressors October 20, 2010 Safety Instrumented Systems October 8, 2010 Managing Multiple Small Projects
• The College of E&ET at McNeese provides an educational and training home for several
industries.
Gulfstream Technology Inc. - McNeese Engineering Collaboration provides modeling and simulation capabilities to help improve the efficiency of Gulfstream’s GreenFlow Hydro Turbine.
Port of Lake Charles – Department of Engineering Collaboration: is working to
improve the environment and economy of Southwest Louisiana. The efforts also includes a program to identify the source of the shoal material that lies at the bottom of the Calcasieu Ship Channel in hopes of finding a way to prevent the sediment from flowing into the channel.
A task force of oil research has been created to help area officials plan for the
arrival of oil from Deepwater Horizon leak as well as for similar disasters in the
Engineering-Graduate 4 September 24, 2010
future. The department of Engineering has been working on the modeling of oil-spill transport. The research will predict if and where the oil will arrives along the Southwest Louisiana coastline.
McNeese Engineering is partnering with LA Ash, Inc. - Livengood Management,
Resources Materials Testing Laboratory and Southwestern Construction Material Testing Lab to create the Industrial Executives and Academic Partnership – a group that will work together to find solutions to preserve Southwest Louisiana’s coastal heritage and to prevent major infrastructure damage caused by water intrusion to coastal roadways
A collaboration between the College of E&ET and the Floweserve Corporation
(Dallas, TX) created the Gulf-Coast Flowserve Satellite Training Center at McNeese State University to provide engineers and technicians from New Orleans to Corpus Christi, TX Flowserve training courses. In addition, the collaboration provides continuing education certificates or professional development hours to trainees who successfully complete Flowserve courses in the Dallas, TX, Desio Italy and Singapore Flowserve Learning Resource Centers. The collaboration is in the process of offering certificates to students successfully completing courses in Mexico/South America and the Middle East. A copy of a typical certificate is included in the supplementary documentation section.
As of the time of this report, the following Flowserve courses are planned to be offered at McNeese State University:
• September 21, 2010 Pump and Mechanical Seal Basics (2 days) • October 12, 2010 Centrifugal Pump Fundamentals (4 days) • November 9, 2010 Pump Operator Training (1 day) • November 30, 2010 Pump System Optimization (1 day) • February 7, 2011 Pump Operator Training (1 day) • March 28, 2011 Pump and Mechanical Seal Basics (2 days) • April 11, 2011 Centrifugal Pump Fundamentals (4 days) • May 9, 2011 Mechanical Seal Fundamentals (4 days) • May 16, 2011 Root Cause Analysis (4 days) • June 6, 2011 Pump Operator Training (1 day) • July 25, 2011 Pump Operator Training (1 day) • September 19, 2011 Pump and Mechanical Seal Principles (4 days) • October 24, 2011 Mechanical Seal Fundamentals (4 days)
• Department of Engineering faculty was instrumental in the design and approval effort to
establish the Institute for Industry – Education Collaboration (IIEC). The IIEC is a means for McNeese State University to accomplish its mission by providing a framework for organizing and expanding its existing industry – university collaborations to “enhance economic development and cultural growth in this region and beyond.” As the liaison between industry and higher education, the IIEC seeks to establish relationships with a strong emphasis on economic development. An one page informational flyer about the institute is included in the supplementary documentation section.
In August of 2010, the IIEC offered a one-day course on valves and heat exchangers to PPG employees with 4 to 25 years experience. The course was offered four different times within a
Engineering-Graduate 5 September 24, 2010
two-week period to about 60 people. A 10-day Basic Operator Training course is currently being developed for PPG and is scheduled to start on January 3, 2011.
Since July 2010, the IIEC has been teaching a four-course sequence to MeadWestvaco employees in DeRidder, LA that will complete in May of 2011. These courses are funded through an Incumbent Workers Training Program (IWTP) grant written by MSU’s Continuing Education office. A second grant is in the planning stage to be submitted to the LA Department of Labor next year.
As of the time of this report, IIEC is offering or is planning to offer the following one-day courses:
• September 24, 2010 Basic Metallurgy (57 people registered) • October, 2010 Procedure Writing Workshop • November 2010 What Went Wrong? Lessons on Chemical Process Safety
D. Program Size: Does the demand support a full program, or will a minor serve the needs?
• Minors do not exist at the graduate level.
II. Internal Demands on the Program
A. Provide FTE faculty per SCHs taught for the following periods (fall terms only):
• During a typical academic year there are up to eight (8) graduate level courses (at the 600 level) offered for all of the disciplines within engineering. Generally that is one course per discipline per semester. That averages out to one FTE for the graduate program. Each student takes a minimum of two 3-credit graduate courses per semester. The student enrollment was 71 and 80 for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, respectively.
08-09 09-10 Avg
FTE Faculty assigned to program 1 1 1
FTE Faculty SCHs 426 480 453
Program Major SCHs 426 480 453
B. Service/Offerings: Describe the internal demands on the program. What courses, services, faculty expertise, resources, or other features integral to the program would, if they were no longer available, adversely affect other programs? What “major-support” courses does the program offer (not including General Education courses)?
Engineering-Graduate 6 September 24, 2010
• The graduate program does not generally provide support courses to other colleges because of the focused nature of out individual graduate programs, but other students are allowed to take classes in the Department of Engineering.
• Local employers would suffer if faculty expertise in each of the engineering disciplines were eliminated. The Department of Engineering faculty provide a technical base for many of the local industry through its contributions to training of their personnel, and technical expertise on their facility operations and/or other issues in Southwest Louisiana.
• Employees of local industry continue their education towards a Master’s Degree by coming to
McNeese State University. Many of them attend late afternoon and evening courses.
• We also offer a co-op/internship program that allows students to find employment with local industry while completing their master’s degree.
III. Program Inputs and Processes
A. FTE Faculty Profile: Please include information on faculty in the program: those included in section I.A. (above), and faculty for AY 10-11.
Name Highest
Degree
T, T-T, NT
Rank FT/PT
Years at McNeese
Dr. Sayed M. Aghili PhD T Prof
FT 22
Dr. Pankaj Chandra Ph.D.
T Prof FT 23
Dr. James Dennison (on leave of absence without pay for 2010-11)
PhD T Prof
FT 12
Dr. Fred Denny PhD T AssocProf
FT 10
Dr. John Griffith PhD T Prof FT 19
Dr. Stanley Klemetson PhD T-T Asst Prof
FT 1
Dr. Jon Li PhD T-T Asst Prof
FT 2
Dr. Julie Mendez PhD T-T Asst Prof
FT 0
Dr. Joseph Richardson PhD T Assoc Prof
FT 24
Dr. Richard Robinson PhD T Assoc Prof
FT 13
Dr. Jonathan Sullivan PhD T Asst Prof
FT 5
Dr. Jay Uppot PhD T Prof
FT 24
Dr. Therrill Valentine PhD T Prof FT 25
Engineering-Graduate 7 September 24, 2010
Dr. Ning Zhang PhD T-T Asst
Prof FT 2
Linna Zhao * T-T Asst Prof
FT 0
• Ph.D. Degree Pending
B. Faculty Qualifications Summary (for faculty represented in above chart).
• Of the faculty members in the program, what percentage has terminal degrees?
i. 100%. All of the faculty teaching graduate course have Ph.D. degrees.
• Of the faculty members in the program, what percentage is tenured?
i. 67%
C. Faculty Service Assignments: Identify the faculty member by name and each applicable service commitment by name.
Name University Committee Dept Committee or other
Dept-specific work Dr. Sayed M. Aghili Write To Excellence
Graduate Council Faculty Senate Arbitration
Graduate Studies Graduate Advisor Accreditation and Standards APR
Dr. Pankaj Chandra Graduate Council Distinguished Alumni
Graduate Studies Graduate Advisor MEEN Coordinator
Dr. James Dennison (on leave without pay for 2010-11)
Dr. Fred Denny Sherman Research Center Curriculum
Graduate Advising Accreditation and Standards Awards Committee
Dr. John Griffith Athletic Council United Way Intellectual Property
COOP Director Awards
Dr. Stanley Klemetson
Undergraduate Scholar Distinguished Faculty Faculty Senate
Dept Head COOP Director Undergraduate Studies
Dr. John Li Faculty Senate Integrity Freshman Foundation
Undergraduate Studies On-Line Course
Dr. Julie Mendez Sherman Research Awards
Engineering-Graduate 8 September 24, 2010
Dr. Joseph Richardson
Retroactive Appeals
Graduate Studies
Dr. Richard Robinson
Honor College Adv. Board Curriculum
CHEG Coordinator Accreditation and Standards
Dr. Jonathan Sullivan
Faculty Senate Traffic Control\ Curriculum
Graduate Studies Accreditation and Standards Online Course
Dr. Jay Uppot Quality Improvement
Graduate Studies Graduate Advisor CIEN Coordinator
Dr. Therrill Valentine
Honorary Degree Bookstore Graduate Council Online Course
Undergraduate Studies ELEN Coordinator
Dr. Ning Zhang E-Learning
Accreditation and Standards Online Courses APR
Ms. Linna Zhao
Awards
The Department of Engineering has the following standing committees in place:
o Undergraduate Studies Committee addresses issues related to the undergraduate catalog, sets undergraduate policies regarding graduation requirements, degree plans, curricula, and course scheduling. This committee is responsible for the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Master Plan.
o The Graduate Studies Committee addresses issues related to the graduate catalog, sets graduate
policies regarding graduation requirements, degree plans, curricula, and course scheduling. This committee is responsible for the Master of Engineering master plan.
o The Accreditation and Standards Committee addresses all issues of compliance with ABET,
SACS, Industrial Advisory Board Reviews.
o The Awards Committee administers the Faculty Excellence Award, student awards for E-Week, Endowed Scholars, Endowed Professorships, and all requests for awards that may come up.
Name Academic Advisor
Advisor to Student Organization
Non-paid Univ-based External Service
Other Univ-specific service (identify service
Dr. Sayed M. Aghili
ELEN Graduate
Microsoft/Cisco Professional Certification
Program
Fundamental of Engineering Exam
Lectures
Dr. Pankaj Chandra MEEN Fundamental of
Engineering-Graduate 9 September 24, 2010
Engineering Exam Lectures
Dr. James Dennison (on leave)
Fundamental of Engineering Exam
Lectures
Dr. Fred Denny ELEN
Fundamental of Engineering Exam
Lectures
Dr. John Griffith CHEG
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership
Dr. Nikos Kiritsis National Society of Black
Engineers
Dr. Stanley Klemetson
CIEN
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership, 2010 ASEE Gulf-SW
Conference Organizing Committee
Dr. Jon Li MEEN
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership, 2010 ASEE Gulf-SW
Conference Organizing Committee
Dr. Julie Mendez
American Institute for Chemical Engineers
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership
Dr. Joseph Richardson
CIEN
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership
Dr. Richard Robinson
CHEG
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership
Dr. Jonathan Sullivan
CHEG
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership
Dr. Jay Uppot CIEN
American Society for Civil
Engineers
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership, Fundamental of
Engineering Exam Lectures
Dr. Therrill ELEN Fundamental of Louisiana
Engineering-Graduate 10 September 24, 2010
Valentine Engineering Exam Lectures
Virtual School Dual Enrollment
Dr. Ning Zhang MEEN
American Society for Mechanical Engineers
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership, 2010 ASEE Gulf-SW
Conference Organizing Committee
Ms. Linna Zhao
Society of Women
Engineers
Lake Area Industries / McNeese Engineering
Partnership
D. Curriculum Design
• What discipline-based theories or principles underlie the program’s current curricular design?
i. Each graduate student entering the program selects one of the five primary fields of specialization (concentrations): Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Engineering Management.
ii. Within each of those concentrations there are sub-areas that the students may wish to focus on in their studies or they may pursue greater educational depth across the concentration area.
iii. The program offers advanced knowledge in the subjects taught.
iv. Periodically we track the programs in other major universities to make sure we are consistent with their programs.
• How does the curricular design operate to ensure students graduating from the program demonstrate competency appropriate to the discipline for the level at which they earn a degree?
i. Prospective graduate students are given an entrance exam to determine if they are qualified to be in the program. In addition their educational background is evaluated to determine if they have the necessary engineering credentials from institutions of known educational quality.
ii. The educational standards are based upon the requirements of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Each engineering student with an undergraduate engineering degree from McNeese States University is required to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam prior to graduation. Graduate students from other universities are expected to have the same knowledge when entering the graduate program.
Engineering-Graduate 11 September 24, 2010
iii. At the end of their educational program the students are required to take a comprehensive exam in their field of study to assure that the expectations of their degree plan have been met.
iv. Some of the graduate students go to work for local industry, governmental agencies or private firms. Feedback about their performance is requested from selected employers. In addition, the Department of Engineering utilizes an industrial advisory review team to evaluate each of our disciplines on a four year rotation.
• Is the program curriculum designed for flexibility, giving students an array of options or potential paths of focus? OR Is the program curriculum deliberately sequenced so that students must progress along a designated path to achieve completion?
i. In each major there are courses and electives that allow the students some degree of specialization. Students work with their advisor to select the best courses for their area of interest. Students also have the opportunity to complete a thesis or a project that allows them to gain additional experience in their areas of interest.
ii. Some students also take advantage of the co-op/internship program to gain work experience with local industry.
iii. Some students complete the thesis option which allows them a detailed inquiry into a topic of their choice or one that is tied to a funded research project.
• How often is the program changed? What evidence are these changes based on?
i. On-going input from industry about their needs give rise to changes in the program and courses. Also the need for new courses arises as knowledge advances.
ii. When university requirements change it is necessary to evaluate the program to
determine how the degree plans can satisfy these requirements.
• How is the program able to adapt to external curricular demands? (e.g. caps on total hours, general education requirements, and so on).
i. Graduate programs typically do not have external curricular demands. A typical graduate program requires 30 credit hours plus 6 hours of thesis. There are no general education requirements. However students may elect to take a few graduate courses outside their concentration if approved by their advisor.
• How is the program curriculum designed to accommodate transfer students?
Engineering-Graduate 12 September 24, 2010
i. A maximum of three graduate courses can be transferred. The transferred courses must be similar in content to courses offered in our program. Only courses with grades B or above can be transferred.
• Are there courses, concentrations, paths or other facets of the curriculum that can be reduced—either because of lack of demand, lack of resources (faculty), or combined with courses in other programs to create more efficient (in-demand) concentrations?
i. The graduate program exists because of the demand of industry and the students. Generally the demand for specialty courses is greater than what our faculty can handle. However, we designed our existing courses in ways that meet the needs of industry and students.
ii. Engineering courses cannot be substituted with courses in other colleges or programs.
The College of Business provides 18 hours of coursework towards the engineering management concentration.
iii. Engineering would benefit from additional faculty and laboratories, but industry has provided some of our specialized equipment so that we can teach the courses they want taught. Additionally the faculty are pursing equipment and research grants that will support research assistantship at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Graduate level research also provides opportunities for undergraduate research, course, facilities and student financial support. Laboratory facilities are generally very specific to the materials be taught. However the utilization of laboratories in parts of the campus could be beneficial to enhancing our research and teaching opportunities.
iv. When possible the graduate program tries to utilize or share facilities with other programs, but the specialized nature of graduate study or the lack of other facilities does not generally make that possible.
E. Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan
• Describe the program’s assessment system via the following chart. Provide any additional comments or explanations after the chart. +
Learning Outcomes Courses/Places Where Assessed
Assessment Method(s)
Graduates apply critical thinking in academic and professional environment
Core courses in each concentration
Exams and homework
Graduates formulate and express ideas effectively through oral, written and /or technologies communications in academic and professional environments.
Term paper, final comprehensive exam or thesis defense.
Term papers and oral presentations and thesis defense
Graduates analyze the global community to make sound
Term paper, seminar by
Term paper, discussion in seminars and tests on
Engineering-Graduate 13 September 24, 2010
judgments in academic and professional environment.
external invited speakers
seminar topics
1. Instructional Methods Used in Program:
• Traditional Format: This section attempts to obtain a profile of how technology is used in traditional, face-to-face courses in the program, and ultimately across campus. Identify the following:
i. Percentage of courses taught through traditional lecture, where technology use is relatively minimal (e.g. blackboard is used to post syllabus, maybe handouts):
1. 75%
ii. Percentage of courses where half or more of instruction is technology-delivered (e.g. blackboard is used for disseminating instructional materials and testing/receiving student work):
1. 25%
iii. Percentage of courses where technology/media forms some or part of the subject of the course instruction (e.g. a film studies course)
1. 0%
• E-Learning Education: This section directly relates to elements and measurements on the Louisiana GRAD act.
i. Please identify e-learning program courses offered in 09-10. Include the course, the number of e-learning sections, # enrolled (total for all sections), and SCHs. Indicate with an “x” whether the course was 50-99% e-learning or 100% e-learning.
1. Currently there are no e-learning courses being offered at the graduate level. E-learning features exist in some courses and are accessed by students as needed.
2. Several undergraduate courses are being developed for online courses and some faculty members have received training. This may lead to online course at the graduate level.
Note: if different sections of the same course can be answered differently in the % e-learning boxes, Then list them separately
Place an “x” in the appropriate box.
Program Major Courses
# of sections
# enrolled
SCHs
50-99% e-learning
100% e-learning
None
Engineering-Graduate 14 September 24, 2010
Place an “x” in the appropriate box.
Program Service Courses
# of sections
# enrolled
SCHs
50-99% e-learning
100% e-learning
Our graduate program does not offer any
service courses
ii. Can this program be offered 100% online? Explain why or why not and how long it would take before it could be offered 100% online. Discuss what resources or support might be necessary to support such a move.
• Except the thesis work, the program could be offered 100% on line provided we have the resources.
• In fact, we believe that an on-line component of a classroom based graduate program will allow us to attract additional graduate students who work fulltime during the day.
• To offer our program on-line we would need: 1) convert all courses to an on-ne delivery format, 2) have our faculty attend the on-line training course, and 3) equip a classroom(s) with on-line delivery equipment.
2. Academic Program Analysis: Please attach the document provided by Institutional Research.
McNeese State University Academic Program Analysis Program Title: MENG -‐ Engineering Program Level: Date Initiated:
2005-‐2006
2006-‐2007
2007-‐2008
2008-‐2009
2009-‐2010 Average
Enrollment 84 78 100 71 80 83 5 Parish Area 8 7 7 7 7 7 25 and older 27 24 31 23 23 26 First-‐Time Graduate 25 29 24 20 22 24 FT-‐ FTG 25 28 22 17 19 22 PT-‐ FTG 0 1 2 3 3 2 Transfer Enrollment 10 1 2 3 4 4 Rank Graduate Master Candidate 84 78 100 71 80 83 Concentration Chemical Engineering 1 9 8 7 8 7 Civil Engineering 1 10 8 5 5 6 Electrical Engineering 1 40 41 32 50 33
Engineering-Graduate 15 September 24, 2010
Engineering Management 0 5 9 8 2 5 Mechanical Engineering 0 13 17 13 11 11 Total completers 45 44 66 35 36 45 Concentration Chemical Engineering 3 2 6 3 4 4 Civil Engineering 3 6 4 2 2 3 Electrical Engineering 29 22 45 14 21 26 Engineering Management 4 6 4 6 3 5 Mechanical Engineering 6 8 7 10 6 7 Retention Rate of FT-‐FTF APR Average ACT of enrollees 17.25 18.20 23.50 22.00 20.24 Average ACT of FTF Average ACT of completers 16.00 23.50 19.75 Average High School GPA of Enrollees 3.83 3.83 3.61 3.75 3.76 Average High School GPA of FTF Average High School GPA of Completers 4.00 3.76 3.88 Average GPA of Completers 3.57 3.55 3.46 3.59 3.56 3.55 Average MSU Term GPA of Enrollees 3.52 3.37 3.57 3.41 3.47 Number of Faculty teaching major courses at upper level at lower level at graduate level FTE faculty assigned to program FTE Faculty SCHs Average Student Credit Hour production per FTE faculty assigned to program Program major SCHs 1,493 1,348 1,421 Program Cost per Major (ULS Cost Analysis Study) 5,165.93
3. Recruitment Strategies: In what ways does the program actively recruit new students? Does the program have a system for responding to student inquiries, for advertising classes, or otherwise increasing program exposure? Provide any data that shows the results of recruitment initiatives. If no program or plan exists, describe one that can be reasonably created.
• Currently there are no organized recruitment plans. Even without any recruiting efforts we get good number of international students. At the time when we started the engineering management concentration, we printed flyers and organized an outreach campaign to promote the ne concentration.
• It is common practice to recruit graduate students from our graduating seniors. Some students stay on and pursue a masters degree if financial support is available. Most of our students do not want to stay on due to the level of financial support offered by McNeese. When we had
Engineering-Graduate 16 September 24, 2010
opportunities to offer stipends to the level of $1,000 per month funded by Board of Regents grants, recruiting domestic graduate students was much easier.
• Some of our recruiting takes place with employees (engineers) from local industry trying to attract them to our program on a part-time basis.
4. Advising: Include a student to advisor ratio. Describe the advising process for the program. For example, how are advising assignments made? What activities constitute an advisor’s responsibility, and are these activities coordinated among advisors across the program? Include any feedback from students on the effectiveness of the advising experience. Is effective advising rewarded? If no advising or evaluation system is in place, describe one that will be developed and implemented.
• Each graduate student is assigned to a major professor who advises him or her on the courses needed to achieve the graduate degree plan.
• The number of graduate students advised may be 1 for some faculty because not all faculty teach graduate courses or do research, to 30 as it is true but in the case of Electrical Engineering where Dr. Aghili advises all 30 graduate students to assure consistency in the graduate program.
• Depending on the graduate students enrolled per concentration at any given time, the ratio
between advisors and advisees varies.
• Exit interviews and comprehensive exams are utilized to evaluate advising effectiveness, but no formal assessment is recommended because successful completion of their graduate program supports the quality of the advising process.
5. Retention Initiatives: Describe activities to encourage student retention in the program. If no current activities exist, describe efforts that the program can make to increase retention of students. Provide, if available, any data that shows student retention.
• This not generally an issue in a graduate program because students who enter the program are highly motivated and eager to achieve their educational goals.
• Generally, all students who enter the program are able to graduate, so no specific data on retention has been collected.
6. Transfer Student Support: Describe the extent to which any special support or effort is made to help transfer students transition to your program. Describe any successes or challenges with respect to transfer student populations.
• The major professor and the Dean decide and approve all courses to be transferred. A maximum of three courses could be transferred and count towards the degree.
• Generally students entering the program have adequate background before they are accepted into the program. Therefore the primary consideration is the number of courses that can be transferred into the program.
Engineering-Graduate 17 September 24, 2010
• Finding courses in our curricula equivalent to the courses students may have taken elsewhere is sometime challenging, but it does not generally present a problem because most of the engineering courses can be transferred as a “Special Topics” course.
Resource Assessment: Are there resources within the program that might be shifted to better achieve the program’s mission? Are there inter-program/departmental collaborations that might be possible? Are there processes, practices, or policies that the program can employ, modify, or delete that would help it to better teach its students?
• The graduate program works well as is. However, shifting resources towards recruiting quality students and on-line course preparation would be a positive outcome.
• More effective collaborations with the College of Business, the environmental science, mathematics
and general science faculty could benefit students and expand the current course offerings.
V. Quality of Program Outcomes
A. Student Learning Outcomes—results, 3-years. IE will provide data/results for this section.
The following data/results were provided by IE.
Program M Engineering
Year SLO TM MM CA NM % Plan Score
2008 SLO 1 3 1 3 0 33.3% 2008 SLO 2 3 0 2 0 0.0% 2008 SLO 3 3 0 3 0 0.0% 2008 Total 9 1 8 0 11.1% 2 2009 SLO 1 na na na na #VALUE! 2009 SLO 2 na na na na #VALUE! 2009 SLO 3 na na na na #VALUE! 2009 Total 0 0 0 0 #DIV/0! 0 2010 SLO 1 na na na na #VALUE! 2010 SLO 2 na na na na #VALUE! 2010 SLO 3 na na na na #VALUE! 2010 Total 0 0 0 0 #DIV/0! 0
Explanation of Data & Assumptions This chart indicates the levels of benchmark attainment for each University Student Learning Outcome for a three-year period, along with a score for the quality of the assessment plan as described on the annual Master Plan/Progress Report for the program. Column indicators for data correspond thusly:
• TM = total measures (number of assessments used to determine achievement of objective; • MM = measures met; number total measures where benchmark was met or exceeded; • CA = Actions/decisions or other revisions based on data; • NM = New measure/new assessment created.
Engineering-Graduate 18 September 24, 2010
The plan score rubric is as follows:
• 0 = No activities or reports • 1 = Assessment activities need improvement--measures may not include benchmarks; markers may not
clearly address objective; may not include data where data should be present; provides little to no discussion of results;
• 2 = Assessment activities developing--changes may be needed to clarify measures, benchmarks; there may be problems with data on only a few markers; discussion may need more development; overall, plan shows effort but needs revision to make assessment system effective; score may also be assigned to new plans or plans with substantial changes from the previous year;
• 3 = Assessment activities on target--benchmarked measures clearly support objective and include communicative data with clearly applicable actions/decisions related to outcomes; minimal changes may be needed to make plan and process clear and communicative to a broad campus audience.
Assumptions / Methodology In 2008, the total measures column included new initiatives and any measures for which there was not data available or there were no students at that level of assessment or in the program. This method was changed for 2009 and 2010. Now, new measures, no data instances, and lack of completers for an assessment measure mean that that measure is not included in the total measures for that Learning Outcome. These exceptions are noted on the institutional report.
B. Completer Data & Tracking (provide at least a three-year period of information, if possible; in any case identify the period of time considered for response).
• No data available for the graduate program, but local students are either working locally or will find employment locally. International students generally leave the area and we do not have any data about their employment.
% passing licensure, certification, or other such instrument, if applicable
Program
Exam Name
% passing
first time
Job Placement—
In Field (% of Completers) w/in 1 year
Job Placement—
Unrelated Field (% of Completers) w/in 1 year
Job Placement—In Louisiana
(% of Completers) w/in 1 year
Further Education %
of Completers)
Total for degree
Concentration 1
Concentration 2
C. Employer Satisfaction: What evidence is there of employer satisfaction with program graduates? • No data available for the graduate program.
Engineering-Graduate 19 September 24, 2010
D. Student Satisfaction: What evidence is there of student satisfaction with the program? • No data available for the graduate program. However, judging from the fact that we had a number
of graduate students attract their friends and relatives to McNeese State University we can conclude that the student satisfaction level must be high.
E. Faculty Performance and Contributions Same as for the undergraduate program
• Provide average SEI scores for 5-year period. Only include faculty assigned to program on the list provided by IR.
SEI Averages
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 AVG
88.42 88.65 87.64 89.35 87.15 88.29
• Provide a detailed list (up to 10) of faculty-student research projects.
Faculty Thesis Description
Dr. Seyed M. Aghili
Yes Developing a dynamic source routing algorithm using fuzzy logic concepts.
Dr. Stanley Klemetson Dr. Ning Zhang Dr. John Li Dr. Jay Uppot
No Evaluation of erosion impacts for Highway 82
Dr. Jay Uppot Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Study of new type of fly ash locally produced in construction Study of calcium of chloride in soil cement base construction Study of fiber reinforced soil Study of potassium chloride as an additive to soil cement Study of calcium chloride in organic soil cement base construction Study of calcium chloride in organic soil cement base construction
Dr. Ning Zhang Yes
No No
Hydrodynamic and sediment/oil-spill transport simulation of Calcasieu Ship Channel and surrounding water systems CFD-based turbine optimization Numerical and experimental studies of flow over a flapping airfoil
• Provide examples of recognition faculty bring to the program in the area of non-paid public
service (up to five examples).
Engineering-Graduate 20 September 24, 2010
Faculty Years Description
Dr. Fred Denny 2009-2010 National ABET Review Team
Dr. Ning Zhang 2009-present
ASEM Computational Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee
Dr. Ning Zhang 2010 Board of Regent Gulf Oil Spill Conference Panelist
Dr. Ning Zhang 2010 Coastal Sustainability Consortium Technical Committee
F. Faculty Research (cover a five-year period, if possible. In any case, indicate the period of time this data
will cover)
• Portfolio of Intellectual Contributions: Last five years
Faculty (list alphabetically) Only include faculty currently employed at McNeese.
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Dr. Sayed M. Aghili
11+9
Dr. Pankaj Chandra
6
Dr. Fred Denny
Dr. John Griffith 2 1 2 3 1 2
Dr. Stanley Klemetson
1
Dr. John Li 6 1 7 7 1 26 3 14 9
Dr. Julie Mendez 2 10 103 12
Dr. Joseph Richardson
Dr. Richard Robinson
2
Dr. Jonathan Sullivan
3 2
Dr. Jay Uppot 1 1 1 1 12
Dr. Therrill Valentine
Dr. Ning Zhang 8 12 5 1 10 1 4
Ms. Linna Zhao 5
Engineering-Graduate 21 September 24, 2010
1 Microsoft Professional Certification Program 2Associate Editor, International Journal of Acoustics and Vibration 3 Non-peer reviewed presentations
VI. Revenue and Resources Generated by the Program Briefly identify any revenue or resources generated by the program.
• Fees charged, other than tuition (include amount of fee and total revenue by semester or academic year). o A $20 student laboratory fee is collected from each engineering student during advising for Fall and
Spring semesters. In order to register for classes, a student must receive his/her Alternate PIN number. This Alternate PIN is provided by the faculty advisor after the student has been advised and presents evidence that he paid the laboratory fee. Students pay the laboratory fee at the bookstore. The funds are deposited to an account under the discretion of the Engineering Department Head. Typical items purchased under this fund include laboratory supplies (consumables such as printer/copy paper toner, specimens, etc.), electrical and electronic components (resistors, capacitors, ICs, etc.), inexpensive sensors and equipment, support circuits, etc.
o The following table shows the laboratory fees collected by month during the last three years. These
fees are combined for undergraduate and graduate students. We have no way of separating the two sources of laboratory fee funding.
Year Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total
09-10 360 1368 18 3456 1782 36 738 0 1746 3348 270 108 13230
08-09 252 900 0 4860 288 54 612 873 3510 1260 288 198 13095
07-08 90 1188 72 630 2634 36 756 18 180 3908 234 144 9890
06-07 3420 630 0 1278 0 306 2574 252 18 8478
o Financial Support through the Technology Advancement Student Committee (TASC). TASC was formed about 13 years ago in order to administer a $30 per semester, student self-assessed technology fee that is collected by the university at the time the tuition and fees are paid. During the last few years, TASC decided to allocate $50,000 towards technology needs per college on an annual basis. Requests submitted to the Dean of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology by faculty members are prioritized and funded up to $50,000. The following table lists recent equipment/software purchases by the department of engineering.
Equipment/Software Year Amount
Gyroscope and Centrifugal Force Demonstrator, Single Phase Transformer Trainer, Matlab Software, MSDN Microsoft Academic License, and equipment for a distance learning classroom.
2009-10 $46,795
Engineering-Graduate 22 September 24, 2010
Robotics components, Fluid Mechanics software, asphalt testing lab apparatus, Pro II simulation software, Allen Bradley PLC software
2008-09 $21,942
Quanser QNET - 011 NI ELVIS Rotary Inverted Pendulum, Quanser QNET - 012 NI ELVIS HVAC Trainers, Agilent 33220A - 20 MHz Function Generators, P3 Strain Indicator and Recorder, NI ELVIS/PCI-6251, NI ELVIS/USB-6251, Power supplies for NI ELVIS, Manufacturing Engineering DVDs, Labview software
2007-08 $44,013
Laser printer, Electronic Message Center, Quanser QNET - 010 NI ELVIS DC Motor Control, Quanser QNET - 011 NI ELVIS Rotary Inverted Pendulum, Quanser QNET - 012 NI ELVIS HVAC Trainer, ELMO HV-5100 XG document camera, Labview software, Matlab software
2006-07 $36,147
Automation for SR-30 Jet Engine 2005-06 $6,361
TOTAL $155,258 In addition to the above funds, TASC provided the following funding towards the establishment of a small scale outdoor Model Chemical Plant.
Equipment Year Amount Glycol-Water Fractionation Unit 2009-10 $150,000 Hands On Trainer 2008-09 $90,000 Hands On Trainer 2007-08 $131,000
TOTAL $371,000
• Financial Support through McNeese State University / State of Louisiana
o In addition to the financial support provided for faculty/staff salaries, operating expenses, supplies, maintenance, and travel (see above), the university funds scientific equipment for the department laboratories. Information on such equipment follows.
Equipment/Software Year Amount H-6150-CDLC-X Liquid-Liquid Extraction Demonstrator with Data Acquisition and control access points to be used with the Honeywell System
2007-08 $80,000
H-ICS-PhX-X pH Control Trainer with micro controller 2007-08 $38,700 H-6252 Modular Chemical Reactor System 2007-08 $63,081 H-6290-CDLC-X Gas/Liquid Absorption Column with Computer Data Logging and Control via the Honeywell System
2007-08 $56,000
H-6878-CDLC-X Six Pass Heat Exchanger with Computer Data Logging and Control via the Honeywell system
2007-08 $43,762
H-IRT-1-CDLC-X Industrial Refrigeration Trainer with 2007-08 $59,183
Engineering-Graduate 23 September 24, 2010
Computer Data Logging and Control via the Honeywell System
TOTAL $260,806
• Grants received by Department of Engineering faculty during the last five-year period.
Principal Investigator
Engineering Co-Investigators
Amount Award Period
Stanley Klemetson Ning Zhang, John Li, Jay Uppot $29,912 07/10-06/11
Joseph Richardson $48,000 06/10-10/11
Stanley Klemetson $1,744 04/10-04/11
Nikos Kiritsis John Griffith, Zhuang Li, Therrill Valentine
$248,211 04/10-03/11
Nikos Kiritsis Zhuang Li, Ning Zhang $154,542 03/10-09/10
Ning Zhang $7,444 01/10-07/10
Jay Uppot $5,000 10/09-07/10
Nikos Kiritsis Qiu Liu $ 90,443 06/09-06/11
Zhuang Li $99,800 06/09-06/11
Ning Zhang Zhuang Li $19,500 04/09-03/10
Ning Zhang $2,200 03/09-03/11
Janet Woolman Ning Zhang, Stanley Klemetson $334,540 10/08-09/10
Nikos Kiritsis $3,500 03/08-03/09
Nikos Kiritsis Jonathan Sullivan $2,700 09/07-07/11
Harold Stevenson Nikos Kiritsis $163,010 06/07-06/11
Jonathan Sullivan John Griffith, Therrill Valentine $150,000 06/07-06/09
Harold Stevenson Nikos Kiritsis $496,800 09/06-08/31
Jim Dennison Nikos Kiritsis $84,634 07/06-06/07
Nikos Kiritsis $10,000 08/06-01/07
Nikos Kiritsis $43,950 06/06-06/08
Nikos Kiritsis $1,129,996 09/05-08/11
Nikos Kiritsis $160,403 08/04-07/09
Ning Zhang $20,585 08/10-07/11
Janet Woolman Ning Zhang, Stanley Klemetson $235,000 09/09-08/11
Janet Woolman Ning Zhang, Stanley Klemetson $500,000 04/10-08/12
Lei Jin Ning Zhang, Zhuang Li $9,700 01/09-01/10
Engineering-Graduate 24 September 24, 2010
Ning Zhang $4,400 01/09-01/11
TOTAL $4,056,014
o The following grants have generated a total indirect cost for McNeese State University of $323,453 during the last five years.
Principal
Investigator Engineering
Co-Investigators Amount Indirect
Cost Joseph Richardson $48,000 $8,976
Nikos Kiritsis $248,211 $34,073
Nikos Kiritsis $154,542 $11,447
Janet Woolman Ning Zhang, Stanley Klemetson
$334,540 $48,094
Nikos Kiritsis $1,129,996 $124,016
Nikos Kiritsis $160,403 $12,676
Ning Zhang $20,585 $1,525
Janet Woolman Ning Zhang, Stanley Klemetson
$235,000 $34,714
Janet Woolman Ning Zhang, Stanley Klemetson
$500,000 $47,932
TOTAL $2,831,277 $323,453
• Equipment Grants (identify any equipment received and estimated value and/or funds received specifically for purchase of equipment—include amount and date)
Principal
Investigator Engineering
Co-Investigators Amount Description
Jonathan Sullivan John Griffith, Therrill Valentine
$150,000 Bayport Process Trainer
Nikos Kiritsis Jonathan Sullivan $323,000 Equipment for the Department of Engineering
Zhuang Li $99,800
Nikos Kiritsis $43,950 Open Water Channel
Nikos Kiritsis Qiu Liu $ 90,443 Motors Laboratory
Jim Dennison Nikos Kiritsis $84,634 Circuits Laboratory
TOTAL $791,827
• Identify any potential revenues: fundraising, gifts, grants, other not yet acquired.
Engineering-Graduate 25 September 24, 2010
o Currently working towards acquiring equipment donations from Citgo Petroleum Corporation and
Cheniere LNG.
o A $5,000 donation from Alcoa Carbon Products in Lake Charles is expected.
o A $10,000 donation from the PPG Foundation is expected.
• H.C. Drew Endowment for Economic Development program.
o Engineering faculty are also active in submitting proposals seeking internal university grants. Through the H.C. Drew Endowment for Economic Development, McNeese State University enhances opportunities to partner in economic development in Southwest Louisiana and prepares students with the modern skills needed to enter into and succeed in the workforce.
Proceeds from the H.C. Drew Endowment for Economic Development fund two programs through competitive proposals: the H. C. Drew Center for Associate Studies which provides access to higher education for students seeking the associate degree, and the H. C. Drew Institute which augments the university’s contributions to economic development by providing resources to enhance classroom instruction and educational services for students pursuing baccalaureate and/or master’s degrees. The Department of Engineering is eligible to participate in both programs. Competitive proposals written by Department of Engineering faculty funded the following equipment/software purchases.
Equipment/Software Year Amount
Contribution towards the outside, small-scale Chemical Plant 2008-09 $54,000 Hydraulic modeling software, GPS enabled surveying equipment, equipment and software for web based courses 2007-08 $35,500
Chemical structure models 2006-07 $6,111 TOTAL $95,611
• Financial Support as a Result of Private Industry Contributions.
o Private industry contributions come in the form of cash or equipment/software donations. We are fortunate to be located in a heavily industrialized area specializing primarily in oil and gas based products/materials that has had a number of profitable years lately. The following table lists industry equipment/software donations to the Department of Engineering.
Equipment/Software Year Amount*
Control Room Furniture by Trunkline LNG 2007-08 $35,000 LNG Plant Simulator by Trunkline LNG 2007-08 $75,000 Steam Power Plant Refurbishing by Entergy 2007-08 $72,000** TDC 3000 by Basell Inc. 2006-07 $711,000 Backup and new boards for the TDC 3000 by Citgo Petroleum Corporation 2006-07 $35,000
TOTAL $928,000
Engineering-Graduate 26 September 24, 2010
* approximate value at the time of donation
**The steam power plant was an interesting and rewarding collaboration between McNeese and the local power company, Entergy, and received significant local press coverage. Quoting from the college newsletter, The E & T Modem, “Entergy personnel recently refurbished, delivered and installed a steam turbine engine that has been used for training in the MSU Department of Engineering. The miniature power plant uses steam to run an electric generator to produce electricity similar to the equipment used at the Nelson Station Entergy Plant on Houston River Road. The use of the engine will be incorporated into the academic programs and used for hands-on training for future plant operators and mechanical and chemical engineers. The plant will also provide steam for labs within the Engineering Technology Lab building. More than 600 man-hours went into the refurbishing of the existing 1967 Westinghouse steam turbine engine. Entergy upgraded this miniature unit to be more like the actual equipment operated at the Nelson plant. The company’s research found that only nine of these specifically designed turbine engine and generator combination units were built for technology programs at colleges and universities.”
• Financial Support to Recover from Hurricane Rita.
o In response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Department of Education and the Louisiana Board of Regents entered into an agreement for the administration of emergency funds as authorized by P.L 109-148. In accordance with this agreement, the Board of Regents contracted with McNeese State University to receive up to $2,600,000 in emergency grant funding. A portion of these funds were budgeted to purchase needed equipment and instruments. The following equipment/software was funded by this program.
Equipment Amount
Communications Lab $22,675 Axial Fan Compressor $29,223 Computers, Laptops, Tablet PCs, Server, Printers $111,818 Ice Machine $2,500 Fluid Circuit Demonstrator $28,300 Simulation Lab $46,300
TOTAL $240,816
VII. Cost/Expenses Associated with the Program A separate cost study based on formulae set forth by the University of Louisiana System will be supplied for each program.
• From the Academic Program Analysis report shown below the cost is $5,165.93 per student.
McNeese State University Academic Program Analysis Program Title: MENG -‐ Engineering Program Level: Date Initiated:
Engineering-Graduate 27 September 24, 2010
2005-‐2006
2006-‐2007
2007-‐2008
2008-‐2009
2009-‐2010 Average
Enrollment 84 78 100 71 80 83 5 Parish Area 8 7 7 7 7 7 25 and older 27 24 31 23 23 26 First-‐Time Graduate 25 29 24 20 22 24 FT-‐ FTG 25 28 22 17 19 22 PT-‐ FTG 0 1 2 3 3 2 Transfer Enrollment 10 1 2 3 4 4 Rank Graduate Master Candidate 84 78 100 71 80 83 Concentration Chemical Engineering 1 9 8 7 8 7 Civil Engineering 1 10 8 5 5 6 Electrical Engineering 1 40 41 32 50 33 Engineering Management 0 5 9 8 2 5 Mechanical Engineering 0 13 17 13 11 11 Total completers 45 44 66 35 36 45 Concentration Chemical Engineering 3 2 6 3 4 4 Civil Engineering 3 6 4 2 2 3 Electrical Engineering 29 22 45 14 21 26 Engineering Management 4 6 4 6 3 5 Mechanical Engineering 6 8 7 10 6 7 Retention Rate of FT-‐FTF APR Average ACT of enrollees 17.25 18.20 23.50 22.00 20.24 Average ACT of FTF Average ACT of completers 16.00 23.50 19.75 Average High School GPA of Enrollees 3.83 3.83 3.61 3.75 3.76 Average High School GPA of FTF Average High School GPA of Completers 4.00 3.76 3.88 Average GPA of Completers 3.57 3.55 3.46 3.59 3.56 3.55 Average MSU Term GPA of Enrollees 3.52 3.37 3.57 3.41 3.47 Number of Faculty teaching major courses at upper level at lower level at graduate level FTE faculty assigned to program FTE Faculty SCHs Average Student Credit Hour production per FTE faculty assigned to program Program major SCHs 1,493 1,348 1,421 Program Cost per Major (ULS Cost Analysis Study) 5,165.93
Engineering-Graduate 28 September 24, 2010
VIII. Program Branding Reflect on your program as a whole: its course offerings, availability, modes of delivery, faculty strengths, opportunities for unique student experience (travel, research, internship, and campus social interaction), clarity of the nature of the program and its potential for impact on students’ lives as you respond to the following:
1. If you were a student entering McNeese what features would keep you in the program?
o The Engineering Graduate Program has been doing very well given the limited resources it has compared with other engineering graduate programs in the state. It appears that the “one program – five concentration” mode has been working well and services our student needs.
o From the point of few of an entering graduate student, we would keep the following features of
our program:
Continue hiring faculty with industrial experience. Most of our current faculty has extensive industrial experience that they share with their students in and out of the classroom.
Continue to provide a variety of course offerings at convenient times. Course offerings
and times are adjusted to meet the students changing needs. Continue offering graduate courses in the evening.
Continue to use various modes of course delivery. Engineering faculty teach courses
using a variety of delivery modes that are generally suited to the class and materials being taught.
Maintain small class sizes. Our class sizes are small and this allows the student more
contact with the professor and more freedom to ask questions in class. There is a feeling of personal involvement of the faculty with students’ educational goals.
Maintain updated laboratory facilities. Most of our laboratories are adequately equipped
with modern equipment. The department has invested more than $2.5M during the last five years in facility upgrades through industry donations, grant funding, TASC funding as well as general McNeese equipment acquisitions.
Maintain collaboration with industry. The Engineering Department provides an industry
focused education as well as many opportunities for students to network with industry personnel such as: guest speakers, industry tours, senior design project sponsorship, etc.
Maintain the interdisciplinary nature of our program. Our “one program – five
concentration” mode gives the students the opportunity to experience the interdisciplinary nature of engineering in the real world.
2. How, when, and how often are the best features of your program communicated to students, and how would you improve upon that communication?
o We utilize an electronic messaging system with wall mounted TV monitors to announce co-op opportunities and other activities in the department.
Engineering-Graduate 29 September 24, 2010
o We encourage students to be involved in their student professional organizations and the Louisiana Engineering Society so that they can interface with other students, their professors, and professionals in their area of study.
o We try to involve students in research, whether they are pursuing a thesis or not.
o We can improve upon our communication by: publicizing the activities of students and faculty
more to better recognize everybody’s effort, increase the student involvement with our student professional organizations, promote faculty-student mentoring activities, and organize events that faculty and students interact with each other outside the traditional classroom environment.
IX. Opportunity Analysis As a whole, McNeese is committed to recruiting a qualified, diverse population of students, ensuring their academic progress, and finally producing highly capable, professionally-adaptive graduates. Given the current status of your program as you have outlined it in the above sections, if funds or resources were available to you, how would you appropriate them to better ensure your program facilitates any or all aspects of recruiting, retention/progression, or graduation. If additional funds were available, we would:
o Offer release time to professor(s) to pursue research interests. Graduate research supports undergraduate research and educational programs. It brings in indirect cost, new equipment and laboratory space funded by a variety of sources beyond the State of Louisiana. Even small programs can have areas of specialized education and research that will increase the graduate student population and yield publishable data and university recognition.
o Offer release time to professor(s) involved with grant writing. Creative effort takes more time than
allowed by current teaching loads. University funded release time for proposal preparation and program development would provide additional opportunities for faculty and students.
o Allocate more funds to cover graduate student support at rates competitive with other universities. Having graduate students and a graduate program is an attraction point for new faculty recruits in addition to the everyday benefits they provide.
o Promote publishing of research results and delivering presentations at national conferences while
promoting our graduate program and recruiting more students.
o Seek the conversion of our graduate courses from classroom based to on-line.
Engineering-Graduate 30 September 24, 2010
Signatures of Participating Faculty
Name Date
Dr. Sayed M. Aghili
Dr. Pankaj Chandra
Dr. Jim Dennison
Dr. Fred Denny
Dr. John Griffith
Dr. Nikos Kiritsis
Dr. Stanley Klemetson
Dr. John Li
Dr. Julie Mendez
Dr. Joseph Richardson
Dr. Richard Robinson
Dr. Jonathan Sullivan
Dr. Jay Uppot
Dr. Therrill Valentine
Dr. Ning Zhang
Ms. Linna Zhao