College of Engineering Convenes for Systemwide Deans Discussion
CSULB’s College of Engineering recently convened the California State University (CSU) Deans of Engineering for a collaborative meeting last Friday. The systemwide gathering brought together 17 Deans, Office of the Chancellor representatives, and college administrators to discuss the pressing concerns and emerging trends of the discipline.
The effects of these discussions have far-reaching impacts, given the CSU system produces 1 in every 17 engineering degrees awarded in the United States. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Pomona were recently ranked in the top 10 of nationwide undergraduate engineering programs, and San Jose State and CSULB were ranked in the top 25, of the campuses where doctoral degrees are not offered.
These degrees contribute to the state and support a more innovative economy, according to College of Engineering Dean Jinny Rhee, who shares, “A number of our campuses are highly ranked in the US and our system impact includes social mobility and the development of a skilled workforce necessary for our state's economy based on innovation.”
The event served to bring together colleagues and discuss with the CSU Chancellor’s Office the critical challenges facing the engineering industry. Topics of the day ranged from faculty salary studies, general education (GE) and engineering program requirements to ongoing research occurring in the CSU.
As the meeting host, CSULB also had the opportunity to showcase some of its renowned facilities and faculty experts with its systemwide partners. The engineering deans were able to visit several state-of-the-art instructional and research labs such as the Electronics Lab, the Bio Lab, and Fluid Mechanics Lab.
Also included on their tour was a look at the Beach Solid Propulsion and Combustion Lab (SPCL), a cornerstone of space beach research led by faculty advisor, Dr. Joseph Kalman. This is one of 11 labs hosted in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department alone.
Dean Rhee expressed her support of this strategic collaboration saying, “the incredible privilege of being the Dean of Engineering at CSULB is magnified by the opportunity to work alongside my decanal counterparts at our sister CSU campuses. This meeting allowed us to confer with the Chancellor's Office on issues of importance to our colleges, as well as strategize around challenges that we collectively face.”
This collaboration reaffirms our commitment to our university strategic priorities to build community, expand access, and promote intellectual achievement at The Beach.
