Message from the Dean
A priority task for Armour College of Engineering is to develop and implement a strategic plan that subscribes to Many Voices, One Vision, IIT’s strategic plan approved by the Board of Trustees in May 2009. Areas where engineering is immediately building upon existing efforts include the Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program and interdisciplinary curriculum and research.
I cannot stress enough the impact of the IPRO Program on Armour students.One of the distinctive educational icons of IIT, IPRO prepares our students for their chosen engineering disciplines. As we make the IPRO Program one of the top Armour priorities, we will be committed to continued excellence in technology focused training while placing renewed emphasis on the entrepreneurial and ethical aspects of engineering.
It is critical that we expand our research enterprise in areas of leading-edge engineering and applied science. Central to this is seeking out and encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations.
While interdepartmental and cross-college endeavors promise to enhance Armour’s research profile, a key pursuit is innovation and knowledge creation. We are currently engaged in efforts to identify research areas that are not only of national priority but also consistent with our strengths, in order to strategically focus our growth and investment. It is also imperative that we grow our doctoral program; increasing Ph.D. student enrollment will be essential if we are to increase the impact of IIT’s research and to elevate engineering’s reputation to international stature.
By crossing traditional academic boundaries, we are committed to providing our students with new and richer educational experiences. We have already begun to work in partnership with our fellow IIT colleges to develop co-terminal (B.S./M.S.) programs and other opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels that link engineering with other disciplines. Programs that provide engineering students with knowledge in subjects such as management, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property will offer students a distinctive and relevant education, and better prepare them to drive change in emerging technologies that have the potential to impact society.
Entrepreneurship will play a more central role in Armour education for both undergraduates and graduate students. In 2009, we were pleased to announce IIT’s new Kern Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy, which enrolls 25 top engineering students per year in a program that provides them access to successful area entrepreneurs. As the IPRO Program also works to expand its entrepreneurial component, we will be able to provide our students with more opportunities to make the jump from engineer to entrepreneur. Each of these new endeavors will increase our visibility. “Elevating engineering’s reputation to international stature” is one of IIT’s five strategic priorities. Achieving it will be a tremendous task, but through hard work and a commitment to innovation, including new programs to incentivize excellence, we will build a more competitive educational and research platform. We are committed to making strategic decisions that, in spite of this difficult current financial time, will support our efforts to educate intellectually diverse engineers and foster new discoveries in technology.
We were proud to be the organizer, along with the Chicago Council on Science and Technology, of one of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering summits. The NAE Grand Challenges for the 21st Century: Chicago Summit 2010 discussed some of the most important global issues of our time: clean water; carbon, energy, and climate; urban sustainability; and global health. This exciting opportunity allowed Armour College students and faculty to participate in a forum that provides public awareness of contemporary issues and the significant role that engineering plays in their resolution. For more information about the Chicago summit, visit our news page.
Armour’s alumni and friends, students, faculty, staff, and Board of Overseers play an important role in our progress. The development of the Armour strategic plan—and more importantly, its implementation—is a team effort. I look forward to working with each of you in the coming months and thank you for your partnership and contributions to continue the advancement of Armour’s educational and research programs.
Natacha DePaola
Carol and Ed Kaplan Armour College Dean of Engineering