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Strategic Plan for Padnos College of Engineering

Mission

The mission of the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing is to prepare undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, computing, and OSH to become accomplished professionals; to contribute to our professions through active scholarship in all its forms; and to support the university and society with expertise, leadership, and service.

Vision

The vision of the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing is to:

  1. Prepare students to compete in today's global economy by emphasizing experiential learning a contemporary technical environment;
  2. Prepare students for the future by emphasizing sound principles;
  3. Emphasize a strong technical background enhanced by effective communication skills;
  4. Provide working professionals with the opportunity for continuous professional development;
  5. Imbue students with a strong sense of "the public good" and their own professional responsibility to the public good;
  6. Strive to be an example and an inspiration to develop competence, courage, and compassion with unquestioned integrity.

Values Statement

Our values reflect our education mission.  We are an academic community in a nation in which the intrinsic value of each individual is taken as fundamental. Thus, we strive to provide an environment in which each member of our academic community - student, staff member, and faculty - can reach their fullest potential.

Planning Process

A planning committee was created with members from each of the academic units, from student services, and from the dean's office.  This committee met to draft a strategic plan that was presented to unit heads and to the college executive committee (made up primarily of program chairs) for their input.  With the high level of uncertainty regarding the future of the college, we ultimately decided to retain objectives from the previous college strategic plan that mapped to the President's three commitments.

Collaboration

All three academic units, the dean's office, and student services were involved in the creation of the strategic plan. These units will be contributing to different objectives focused on retention and graduation rates, improvements in the population of underrepresented students, faculty, and staff, and an increase in access to activities that support student, faculty, and community growth.  We will collaborate with the Provost's office to ensure adequate teaching capacity and appropriate teaching spaces.  Collaboration with the Career Center will ensure our students continue to be successfully employed upon graduation.  Collaboration with the President's office will support our external-facing centers (aMDI, ACI, DOER, EMC).  Collaboration with other colleges will be necessary to continue ABET accreditation and increased participation in minors and interdisciplinary certificates.

Building Capacity

We have chosen to maintain most of our objectives from the previous strategic plan because of the uncertainty regarding PCEC moving forward.  Now does not feel like the right time to make significant changes.  Because we are maintaining, rather than adding, major readjustments are not needed.

Commitments

Empowered Educational Experience

Key Performance Indicator

Experiential Learning

Baseline

50.7%

Description

student self-reported information from sophomores, juniors, and senior undergraduate students on course or program-related activities including workplace-based experiences, community-based learning, study abroad, collaborative research, and living-learning communities.

Progress - Fall 2023

Every undergraduate student in PCEC has to complete an internship (Computing and Occupational Safety) or a 3-semester co-op experience (Engineering). Not all of our students complete this experience by their sophomore of junior year (as defined by credits earned), but all of them complete it before graduation. If this KPI were measured at the point of graduation, PCEC would have 100% completion.

Progress - Winter 2023

We continue to require every undergraduate student in PCEC to complete an internship (Computing and Occupational Safety) or a 3-semester co-op experience (Engineering). Not all of our students complete this experience by their sophomore or junior year (as defined by credits earned), but all of them complete it before graduation. If this KPI were measured at the point of graduation, PCEC would have 100% completion.


Lifetime of Learning (25+ Enrollment)

Key Performance Indicator

New Adult Student Enrollment

Baseline

73

Description

number of new FTIAC, Graduate, and Transfer students age 25 or older entering in fall.

Progress - Fall 2023

Good progress is being made on this metric. The number of new adult students in PCEC has risen from 49 (2020) to 73 (2021) to 110 (2022). Addition of two BAS programs has the potential to add more 25+ year old students. Continued recruitment of local students to our computing graduate programs will also aid this metric.

Progress - Winter 2023

On-going

PCEC continues our work to increase new adult student enrollment. The two BAS degrees within the college are aimed at this demographic. The number of online and evening sections have increased. We are also looking forward to participating on OMNI wherever we can. It's unclear how the college split will affect this KPI but the expectation is that it will make it easier to cater to new adult students.


Culture of Educational Equity (CEE)

Key Performance Indicator

Students of Color

Baseline

16.7%

Description

% Students of Color (Afr Am, Hispanic, Nat Am, Asian, Pacific Islander, excluding nonresident international)

Progress - Fall 2023

Good progress is being made in the % of students of color in PCEC. This percentage has risen from 15.9% (2020) to 17.4% (2022). PCEC's involvement in the HBCU pipeline program has added students of color and demonstrated a commitment to student body diversity. In addition, University recruitment efforts have contributed to this improvement.

Progress - Winter 2024

Good progress continues to be made in the % of students of color in PCEC. This percentage has risen from 15.9% (2020) to 17.4% (2022) to 20.1% (2023). PCEC's involvement in the HBCU pipeline program has added students of color and demonstrated a commitment to student body diversity. In addition, University recruitment efforts have contributed to this improvement.


Key Performance Indicator

Faculty of Color

Baseline

22.0%

Description

% and # Tenured/Tenure-track/Affiliate Faculty of Color -- total % of Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Latino, Multiethnic, and Native American full-time.

Progress - Fall 2023

The % of faculty of color has remained steady over the last four years (19-21%). This percentage already meets the 2025-26 university goal. Our "grow your own" program of supporting affiliate faculty with PhD tuition reimbursement continues to keep talented faculty of color in PCEC.

Progress - Winter 2024

The % of faculty of color remained steady over the last four years (19-21%) but grew substantially in 2023-24 (26.3%). This percentage already exceeds the 2025-26 university goal. Our "grow your own" program of supporting affiliate faculty with PhD tuition reimbursement continues to keep talented faculty of color in PCEC.


Key Performance Indicator

Sense of Belonging

Baseline

82.5%

Description

% of faculty in college who responded to confidential survey indicating “the extent to which you experience a sense of belonging or community at GVSU” as “very satisfied” or “generally satisfied”.

Progress - Fall 2023

The sense of belonging among PCEC faculty has dropped from 74.2% (2021) to 55.6% (2023). This is likely due to the uncertainty about the future of the college due to the impending retirement of Dean Plotkowski and the discussion of splitting the college in two. Faculty (and staff) don't know what is going to happen or how decisions will be made, which leads to decrease in the feeling of belonging.

Progress - Winter 2024

The sense of belonging among PCEC faculty has dropped from 74.2% (2021) to 55.6% (2023). Uncertainty is decreasing now that decisions are being made about the staffing of the two new colleges and the expectation is that these scores will go back up for both the Padnos College of Engineering and the College of Computing in the fall of 2024.


Additional Commitments

Key Performance Indicator

New Student Enrollment

Baseline

578

Description

number of new FTIAC, Graduate, and Transfer students entering in fall.

Progress - Fall 2023

New student enrollment in PCEC has risen from 578 (2020) to 768 (2022). Interest in engineering remains steady while interest in computing majors has been increasing. The expected addition of a BS in Data Science and Analytics should continue this trend.

Progress - Winter 2024

New student enrollment in PCEC has risen from 578 (2020) to 768 (2022). It remained steady at 766 new students in 2023. Interest in engineering remains steady while interest in computing majors has been increasing. The recent approval of the BS in Data Science and Analytics should continue this trend. The separation of PCEC into the Padnos College of Engineering and the College of Computing will give both colleges the freedom to make changes leading to additional growth.


Key Performance Indicator

1st Year Fall to Fall FTIAC Retention

Baseline

80.8%

Description

1st Year Fall to Fall FTIAC Retention

Progress - Fall 2023

The first year FTIAC retention rates in PCEC have fallen from 82.7% (2020) to 78.7% (2023). This is actually better than the drop in overall retention numbers at GVSU over the same time period (83.2% to 76.7%). Given the rising numbers of FTIAC students with high school GPAs less than 3.0, we expect the FTIAC retention rates to drop across the university and within PCEC. We have created sections of introductory EGR classes with structured learning assistants and have created a two semester version of EGR 112 to help students succeed. We are also bringing tutoring and advising services directly to students in an LLC and becoming more intrusive in our advising. We hope these efforts will mitigate the anticipated drop in retention.

Progress - Winter 2024

The first year FTIAC retention rates in PCEC have fallen from 82.7% (2020) to 78.7% (2023). This is actually better than the drop in overall retention numbers at GVSU over the same time period (83.2% to 76.7%). Given the rising numbers of FTIAC students with high school GPAs less than 3.0, we expect the FTIAC retention rates to drop across the university and within PCEC. We have created sections of introductory EGR classes with structured learning assistants and have created a two semester version of EGR 112 to help students succeed. We are also bringing tutoring and advising services directly to students in an LLC and becoming more intrusive in our advising. We hope these efforts will mitigate the anticipated drop in retention.


Key Performance Indicator

NPS

Baseline

+13.1

Description

Students only. Net Promoter Score, how willing an individual is to recommend positively an institution to other people such as family, friends, peers, or associates; measures student experience, satisfaction, and engagement and predicts institutional growth, can range from a low of -100 to a high of 100; provides a snapshot and should be used with other measures.

Progress - Fall 2023

The PCEC Net Promoter Score increased from 13.1 in 2022 to 31.1 in 2023. This reflects a rising NPS across the university. Because student attitudes can change rapidly due to circumstances outside the control of any college, it is impossible to predict how this score will change in 2024. We are increasing our student outreach efforts within each of the schools and student services in an attempt to increase this score further.

Progress - Winter 2024

The PCEC Net Promoter Score increased from 13.1 in 2022 to 31.1 in 2023. This reflects a rising NPS across the university. Because student attitudes can change rapidly due to circumstances outside the control of any college, it is impossible to predict how this score will change in 2024. We are increasing our student outreach efforts within each of the schools and student services in an attempt to increase this score further.


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