Strategic Priorities

As we look to the future, we are focused on advancing four departmental priorities that will enhance the educational experience for our students and strengthen our position as one of the nation’s top mechanical engineering programs:

1. Expanding Undergraduate Research Opportunities for First-Year Students

In the FIRE (Freshman Introduction to Research in Engineering) program, teams of first-year students partner with faculty members to solve real-world problems. With support from alumni and corporate partners, we plan to strengthen this program and provide more opportunities for students to gain hands-on research experience.

2. Attracting More of the Best and Brightest Students from Diverse Backgrounds

We value diverse perspectives because we know they lead to better outcomes, better experiences and better engineers. By providing additional scholarships and executing a strategic recruiting effort, we can ensure that we attract more of the nation’s top students from diverse backgrounds.

3. Modernizing and Upgrading Facilities

Our students must work with the latest equipment to gain the skills and experience necessary to succeed in industry. We seek donor support to help maintain existing equipment, purchase new tools and enhance teaching laboratories.

4. Recruiting Future Faculty Leaders

We seek to recruit more junior faculty who bring tremendous talent and energy to our community. In a fiercely competitive market, we must offer additional funding that will help them get off to a fast start.