Engineering New Frontiers Summer Camp - the School of ...

Dean’s Message • Greetings from Hong Kong
As in previous academic years,
2010–2011 was a successful
one, filled with abundant achievements
by faculty, students, and
staff of the School of Engineering.
■ The school welcomed 100
new undergraduate students
at the start of the
last academic year, including
21 transfer students
and 79 freshmen. The
school also welcomed 74
new graduate students.
During the past academic
year, the school granted 57
bachelor’s degrees, 53
master’s degrees, and six
doctoral degrees. You’ll
find their names on the back cover of this issue.
■ As reflected in the Faculty Section, our faculty continued to excel in
teaching and research through their intensive publishing, active participation
in grantsmanship, and service in technical and professional societies.
The school had research expenditures of more than $2 million
and, with 43 research proposals submitted, it received almost $2 million
in new funding.
■ The school continued to carry out accreditation maintenance activities,
including meetings of departmental advisory boards, student participation
in the FE exam, and outcome assessment as outlined in the School
Accreditation Handbook.
■ Two new faculty members and a staff member joined the school during
the past academic year: an assistant professor in biomedical engineering,
a clinical assistant professor, and a receptionist.
■ During the Homecoming luncheon in October 2011, the school granted
Lt. General Donald Lamontagne, who received a Bachelor of Science
degree in engineering from CUA in 1969, the 2011 Engineering Distinguished
Alumni Achievement Award.
■ In April 2011, the school officially welcomed the new CUA President
John Garvey with a dean’s presentation and an informal luncheon with
the faculty. During the dean’s presentation, I gave an overview of the
school’s accomplishments in the last 10 years and its outlook to an
audience that included President Garvey, Provost Brennan, and the fulltime
faculty of the school.
■ During the spring semester 2011, two CUA engineering students went
to Hong Kong to study at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)
and six students from PolyU came to study CUA at under the existing
student’s exchange program between CUA and PolyU. For the 2+2 programs
with Vietnamese universities, we received three new students
from International University, three students from Danang University of
Technology, and one student from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.
In addition we received two graduate students from Vietnam.
■ In February 2011, I was invited to deliver a keynote speech, “The Impact
of Globalized Education on College Students,” at the awards banquet
for the District of Columbia Council of Engineering and Architectural
Societies in Silver Spring.
■ The school held several phone and face-to-face meetings with the
members of the Executive Development Board. The board elected four
new members, Robert Kavetsky, Jude Franklin, Carrie Maslen, and.
Steven Smith. Through the hard work of the board members, we had a
very successful year in fundraising, with a 70 percent participation rate
from alumni contacted.
■ In April 2011, I traveled with a delegation from the School of Engineering
to Macau and Hong Kong. During this trip I visited the University of
Macau (UM), Macau, China, and signed a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) with the Faculty of Science and Technology there. I also met the
officials of the Faculty of Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Hong Kong, and discussed with the acting dean the renewal of
the student exchange program between CUA and PolyU.
■ Also in April 2011, along with a delegation from the School of Engineering,
I traveled to India and visited several Indian universities, including the
University of Calcutta and the Christ University, to explore research and
educational opportunities. I signed several MOUs with the above institutions.
We also paid a visit to a major IT company, InfoSys, in Bangalore.
■ In May 2011, I went with a delegation from the School of Engineering to
Mexico and visited several Mexican Catholic universities, including Universidad
Popular del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Universidad Anáhuac
México Norte, and Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM). MOUs were
signed with these universities.
■ Working with the provost’s office, we have prepared several draft
agreements with universities in Macau, India, and Mexico to implement
research and educational programs such as the 2+2 program, student
exchange program, and faculty visiting program.
■ Our summer camp, formerly known as Eye on Engineering, was renamed
as Engineering New Frontiers and has been extensively reorganized
under the leadership of Mary Kate Zabroske, assistant to the dean for
administration. This one-week program provided students with handson
activities, field trips to local research facilities, and cultural outings.
As evidenced by the facts presented above, the school has done very well in
the academic year 2010–2011 in the areas of enrollment, research, and program
development. These achievements would have not been possible without
the hard work of our faculty, alumni, students, and staff. I am especially
happy that we have expanded our international programs to Macau, India,
and Mexico. I hope you will enjoy reading this issue of “CUA Engineer” and
would appreciate your feedback and suggestions.
Regards,
Charles Cuong Nguyen, D.Sc.
Dean, School of Engineering
nguyen@cua.edu
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