Charge
Recent advances in information technology, computer science, energy and the environment, and entrepreneurship have made engineering schools pivotal to the success of major research universities. At Princeton, these trends are evident in the rising prominence of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, both within the University and beyond. Today, there is skyrocketing interest in and demand for engineering courses among undergraduates from all disciplines, and the school's alumni and faculty are recognized leaders and influencers throughout the public and private sectors, including academia, industry, government and service-oriented nonprofits.
Though the E-Quad may be located at one edge of our campus, the School of Engineering and Applied Science has become central to the University's teaching and research mission. This importance will only deepen in the years that lie ahead, and the strategic planning process presents a prime opportunity to explore and answer the following broad question: How can the University recognize and build upon the essential importance of engineering and computer science to a 21st-century liberal arts university? —President Christopher L. Eisgruber
The School of Engineering and Applied Science Strategic Planning Task Force is asked to begin by conducting a self-study and external review. It is expected that this self-study will mirror the well-established process for departmental self-studies, including internal examination of the school's strengths, weaknesses, internal structures, academic programs and facilities. Additionally, the task force is asked to identify current and future challenges as well as potential opportunities. An external review committee will then be invited to comment on the internal examination and make further recommendations.
In the course of its work, the task force is asked to consider the following questions:
- Which academic fields or educational programs are of highest priority for significant new investment now and in the future? Are there areas where we should scale back to allow us to dedicate resources more fully to the most relevant and critical issues of today and the future?
- How best can the School of Engineering and Applied Science leverage and enhance collaboration among departments and disciplines, both within the school and across the University? How can the School of Engineering and Applied Science's facilities and its physical connection with the rest of campus most effectively form bridges among engineering, the natural and social sciences, and the humanities?
- To what extent and how should questions about the school's physical compactness and proximity to other disciplines inform that campus planning process that will guide the campus' physical development for the next 10 years and beyond?
- How should the school's academic departments be structured to best accomplish our teaching and research goals?
- How best can the School of Engineering and Applied Science contribute to and enhance the University's culture of service by helping students use their educations for the common good? How can the school help prepare leaders and engaged citizens who will make significant contributions in our technology-driven society?
Members
Chair
- Jeremy Kasdin, Vice Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science; Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Faculty members
- Claire Gmachl, Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering
- Peter Jaffe, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Associate Director for Research, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
- Jennifer Rexford, Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor in Engineering. Professor of Computer Science
- Clarence Rowley, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Sankaran Sundaresan, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Robert Vanderbei, Professor of Operations Research and Financial Engineering
Ex officio
- Emily Carter, Director, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment
- Mung Chiang, Director, Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education; Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering
- Ed Felten, Director, Center of Information Technology Policy; Robert E. Kahn Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs
- James Sturm, Director, Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials; Stephen R. Forrest Professor in Electrical Engineering
Staff members
- Amy Lewis, Director, Administration and Services, School of Engineering and Applied Science (secretary)