Strategic Plan

Core Values

  • Excellence, Ethics, Collaboration, & Scholarship

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is to:

  • Advance knowledge of fundamental EECS principles and develop next-generation technologies,
  • Collaborate across disciplines to address present and future societal challenges,
  • Equip students in engineering and computing to be nationally competitive leaders, solving the challenges facing our world,
  • Foster technical, professional, and ethical responsibility in engineering and computing practice, and
  • Provide valuable opportunities for students with exposure to research, industry, service, and entrepreneurship.

Vision Statement

The vision of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is to:

  • Provide a preeminent intellectual environment for producing transformative and world-class research in selected areas of EECS, yielding significant impact and innovation, 
  • Establish a rigorous and innovative engineering and computing curriculum that empowers students to develop solutions using both traditional pedagogy and emerging technologies, and
  • Expand our capacity to serve our region, state, and nation through targeted engagements with educators, entrepreneurs, industry, and alumni.

Strengths & Strategic Growth Areas

Current Strengths - Areas with substantial faculty expertise, research output, and integration with curriculum:

Artificial Intelligence - established expertise with active faculty research and broad course offerings. Can be enhanced with expanded faculty expertise in natural language processing and large language models; Cybersecurity - strong research portfolio, and integration into undergraduate and graduate curriculum through concentrations and graduate certificates; Energy Systems and Power Electronics - Longstanding strength with deep industry relevance, named centers, and faculty cohesion; Semiconductors, Materials, and Integrated Circuit Design - Established facilities, collaborations, and sustained research output

Strategic Growth Areas - Areas that the department can build capacity, enhance our national reputation, and address critical technological needs:

Domain Specific Computing - Specialization in architectures for AI, big data, and scientific computing; Embedded Systems and Robotics - Growth into autonomy, IoT, and control systems; RF, Microwave, and THz - Expansion of our high-frequency communications and sensing technologies

Strategic Priorities and Goals

  • Promote Faculty Growth and Development
    • Goal: Strengthen the department's intellectual capacity by recruiting, retaining, and supporting our faculty with emphasis on core emerging research areas.
  • Attain Leadership in Emerging Research Areas
    • Goal: Position the department as a national leader in research domains critical to the future of technology in electrical engineering, computer science, and computer engineering.
  • Modernize the Curriculum
    • Goal: Develop and deliver a forward-looking, rigorous, and flexible curriculum to equip students with skills for industry, entrepreneurship, and graduate programs.
  • Augment Student Support and Advising
    • Goal: Strengthen advising so that it is more consistent.
  • Expand Alumni Engagement and External Relationships
    • Goal: Strengthen relationships with alumni and industry partners to enrich the community, increase support, and enhance career opportunities for our students.

Assessment

The department will establish measurable performance indicators for strategic priorities. These should be seen as goals, i.e. aspirational but attainable, rather than punitive as some are beyond the control of the department. We will produce a progress report annually according to the annual report template, and a mid-cycle review in 2030 to refine goals and actions.