1. Art and Diseño

CHARLES W. DAVIDSON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
ENGINEERING 2015 PLAN
Background
San José State University (SJSU), established in 1857, is the oldest public institution of higher
education in the West. Located in Silicon Valley, SJSU started its first engineering program in
1946. Since then, our region has changed from an agricultural valley to the high-technology
center of the world. As Silicon Valley evolved, so did SJSU’s Charles W. Davidson College of
Engineering. With nearly 5000 students, the College is now the largest provider of engineers to
Silicon Valley. Its programs have been widely recognized and have received consistently top
rankings from U.S. News and World Report.
Being the only public engineering school in Silicon Valley, the College has helped many people
throughout the region receive an engineering education, providing opportunities that might not
otherwise have been available. Our graduates have become critical contributors to the
development of Silicon Valley: starting new companies, advancing new technologies, and
building critical infrastructure. Many of them have become leaders in technology, business, and
the community.
As Silicon Valley evolves and looks toward the future, so must SJSU’s Davidson College of
Engineering. Further, as the 21st century unfolds, technology will play an increasingly central
role in addressing monumental challenges across the globe such as climate change disruptions,
sustainable energy, and improved healthcare. The ENGINEERING 2015 PLAN is a step in that
direction. Building upon the success of 2005’s “Engineering the Vision” plan, Engineering 2015
outlines goals and provides measurements to guide our collective efforts in the coming years.
Process
The Engineering 2015 Task Force
In Fall 2009, Dean Wei established the Engineering 2015 Task Force, a broadly representative
group comprised of 15 members drawn from the College’s administrators, faculty and staff,
industry, and students. The Task Force served as an engagement team, gathering stakeholders to
explore new possibilities while affirming our unique values and mission.
Membership
Emily Allen (Associate Dean)
Ricardo Duque (Graduate Student)
Julio Garcia (Faculty)
Ahmed Hambaba (Associate Dean)
Jeanne Linsdell (Lecturer)
Juneseok Lee (Faculty)
Mallika Keralapura (Faculty)
Melanie McNeil (Faculty)
Nicole Okamoto (Faculty)
Guna Selvaduray (Former Associate Dean)
Simon Shim (Faculty)
Reuben Thibodeau (Undergraduate Student)
Jacob Tsao (Faculty)
John Turner (Industry)
Lilly Wilderman (Staff)
SJSU Engineering 2015 Plan, Page 1 Inclusive open communication and collaborative processes
Envisioning a better future for the College is an invigorating experience. To shape such a future,
requires broad participation and extensive dialog among the College’s stakeholders. Toward this
end, the Task Force has undertaken a variety of engagement formats to:
 solicit ideas from faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, students, and industry partners,
through inclusive discussion formats and conversational structures that encourage
creative thought;
 provide multiple opportunities for discussion, feedback, and reactions to ideas; and
 conduct research (challenges of America’s higher education, comparative practices of
other universities, Silicon Valley trends, SJSU issues, surveys of our stakeholders, etc.).
During a two-year period (2009-2011), the Task Force held seven open forums as well as 20
team meetings with faculty, chairs, staff, students, and industry representatives. It designed and
distributed surveys, receiving 210 responses from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and employers.
Vision, Mission, and Value
Distinctiveness



Silicon Valley connection and spirit
Diversity and global engagement
Hands-on education
Survey results revealed a great pride in the distinctiveness of our identity as the only public
engineering school in Silicon Valley. Our education opens the door of opportunities to many
young people (often from middle-class and working-class families) to enter the high-tech,
forward-looking world of Silicon Valley. Local innovators constantly develop new technologies
and use them in ways that would not have been imagined just a few years ago. This is the place
where the future is envisioned and born.
Respondents also agreed that our College community reflects Silicon Valley’s broader diversity.
Such diversity means we interact on a personal level with people from different ethnic and
cultural backgrounds, and learn from them about different ways of thinking as well as different
ways of relating to one another. This learning helps us to better understand people and to more
effectively work and live in the ever more interdependent world of the 21st century.
Finally, survey responses noted our College’s distinctive focus on hands-on learning, one that
complements students’ theoretical studies with laboratory and practical work outside the
classroom. This focus reflects our thinking that students learn best when they receive
opportunities to integrate theories and practice.
Vision
As part of Engineering 2015, we reviewed our vision statement (developed as part of the
College’s 2005 “Engineering the Vision” plan):
SJSU Engineering 2015 Plan, Page 2 To be an inclusive learning community that empowers its students to better the
world through innovative applications of engineering knowledge and skills.
The Task Force affirmed that this Vision Statement continues to offer a meaningful and useful
framework for our activities.
Mission
The Task Force also reviewed our Mission Statement:
To educate new engineers who are technically excellent, globally informed, and
socially responsible.
The Task Force agreed that this statement also reflects our contemporary thinking. Our graduates
must possess not only excellent technical skills but also social responsibility and a global
outlook.
Value
The value that underpins our work is:
Excellence through head, heart, and hands (three H’s).
It is our commitment to take actions, informed by integrated intelligence and passion, to make a
distinctive impact.
SJSU Engineering 2015 Plan, Page 3 ENGINEERING 2015 PLAN – Engineering for Silicon Valley and a Better World
Three strategic priorities are the heart of the ENGINEERING 2015 PLAN:
A. Strengthening Educational Excellence
B. Enhancing Faculty and Staff Excellence
C. Leveraging Silicon Valley Connections for Learning and Research
A. Strengthening Educational Excellence
Measurable performance goals for the period of 2010-2015:
(1) Top 10 U.S. News and World Report ranking
(2) 15% increase in the 6-year graduation rate by 2015 (“15 x 15”)
(3) Increasing the percentage of undergraduates and graduates achieving demonstrated
excellence in the major upon graduation
(4) Increasing the number of students learning social responsibilities and gaining global
knowledge
To achieve these goals, the following programs will be (or have been) initiated:

Inclusive Excellence: from outreach to graduation
 Silicon Valley Engineering Scholarships and Engineering Leadership Pathways to
Success (ELPS) to outreach and attract top students.
 Graduate Research Fellowships to attract and support graduate students.
 Engineering Pathways to Success (EPS) initiative to better prepare incoming students
and reach out to prospective students especially those from underserved communities.
 Engineering Summer Bridge program to help new frosh students make successful
transition to SJSU.
 Designated Faculty Advisors to strengthen and integrate faculty and staff advising.
 Inclusive learning communities designed to provide supportive learning environment
for all students.
o MEP (MESA Engineering Program), WiE (Women in Engineering),
o CELL (Community for Engineering Learning and Living), student
organizations.
 Engineering Student Success Center (ESSC) to provide integrated support.

Excellence in the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
 Externally recognized student work such as competitions, publications, theses, and
research awards.

Global Education and Social Responsibilities
 Global Technology Initiative
 Global Poverty Alleviation
 Engineers without Borders
 SJSU Salzburg Program
SJSU Engineering 2015 Plan, Page 4 B. Enhancing Faculty and Staff Excellence
Measurable performance goals that assess our progress towards achieving research excellence
and pedagogical excellence for the period of 2010-2015:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Increase the number of refereed research publications by 50%
Increase external grants by 50%
Increase external recognition of student engineering work
Increase offerings of state-of-the-art curricula and innovative pedagogy
It is critical that the College provide support to faculty and staff for them to advance the
College’s goals. To this end, the College has initiated three programs:



Junior Professorship Program (JPP) – to support junior faculty in their early years to
build a foundation for a career as an excellent teacher-scholar at SJSU
Faculty Excellence Program (FEP) – to provide recognition and resources to faculty who
have established an excellent record of achievements in teaching/learning, research, and
service
Staff Professional Development Program
The Faculty Excellence Performance Criteria/Metrics
The Task Force has developed the following performance criteria and metrics for the Faculty
Excellence program. These criteria are grouped into four categories: teaching/learning, research,
service, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Teaching/Learning
 cutting-edge curriculum
 above-and-beyond advising and supervision of student work that receive external
recognition
 strong record in teaching/learning through pedagogical innovation and leadership
 strong record in fostering student success
Research
 above-and-beyond research for the purpose of creating new knowledge
 external recognition (e.g., grants/awards)
 quality and quantity of publications
Service
 above-and-beyond service to SJSU and professional communities
 high impact
Interpersonal effectiveness based on advancing the College vision through:
 leadership
 collaboration
SJSU Engineering 2015 Plan, Page 5 C. Leveraging Silicon Valley Connections for Learning and Research
The College’s Silicon Valley location privileges us to access world-class engineering talents and
resources, therefore creating unique opportunities for learning and research. Currently, we have
engaged Silicon Valley industry through a variety of programs: Silicon Valley Leaders
Symposium, Silicon Valley Engineering Scholarships, Engineering Industry Advisory Council,
industry professors, internship for students, and corporate master’s degree programs.
However, we want to expand and strengthen these connections that enable faculty and students
to work on Silicon Valley’s cutting-edge projects in a more systematic way. We, therefore, will
start a Silicon Valley Capstone initiative in which a multidisciplinary team of students and
faculty work on projects sponsored by companies. These projects could be part of students’
senior and master projects.
Conclusion
The Engineering 2015 Task Force looked inward, outward, and forward to establish priorities to
advance our vision in the coming years. We aspire to educate students to engineer for Silicon
Valley and a better world. We realize that only through faculty and staff excellence in leveraging
our distinctive qualities we can advance our vision, making a distinctive impact on our students’
lives, our society, and the world. The Engineering 2015 Plan sets the direction for our collective
effort. Yet, it is flexible enough for us to adapt in the face of challenges and opportunities in the
coming years. It will help us evaluate the progress we will make in achieving our ambitious yet
worthy goals. SJSU Engineering 2015 Plan, Page 6