The Electrical Engineering Program at Suffolk University

Dec 18th, 2012

America needs engineers• “If we’re not training engineers to make sure that they are

equipped here in this country, then companies won’t come here. Those investments are what’s going to help to make sure that we continue to lead this world economy.”

President Obama, debate with Mitt Romney, 10/17/12

• “A chronic shortage of engineering students threatens America’s role as the world’s leading innovator and continues to impede our nation’s fragile economic recovery….American universities are simply not producing enough engineers. A McKinsey Global Institute survey released in June found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. employers reported that engineering and science-related jobs were the hardest jobs to fill.”

Paul Otellini, chief executive of Intel Corp; member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness

ABET Accredited Program*

• ABET-Accreditation means– International recognition of its quality– “Best practices" in education– Students have access to enhanced opportunities in

employment; licensure, registration and certification; graduate education and global mobility

– Graduates capable of leading the way in innovation, emerging technologies, and in anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public

(http://abet.org/why-accreditation-matters/)

* Since 2006

Dramatic increase in number of majors

`05 `06 `07 `08 `09 `10 `11 `120

10

20

30

40

50

60# of EE majors

Sept of Year

• Number of majors doubled in the past two years (as of November 2012, number of EE students is 69)

• “Across country, new engineering programs are being started, even at very small colleges to address demands of incoming students… Demand is expected to grow”

Dayne Aldridge-ABET Director for Engineering

Many EE majors are full paying international students since foreign governments will pay for an ABET

accredited program• Discount rate for average EE student: 16%• Discount rate for average Suffolk student:

>30%• 62** EE students in September 2012 bring in

$1,500,000• Department expenses (salaries &benefits,

department budget, not overhead): $720,000

** 69 students as of November 2012

Student Centered Education in EE Program

• Faculty meet about eight times during each semester to discuss students and problems that come up so that these can be addressed

• Faculty participate in early alert program to help struggling students in the middle of the semester

• At the end of each semester, the faculty review each student’s performance and letters to students are sent—either congratulatory on high achievement or warnings that advise students to take reduced loads or retake certain classes

EE program is successful with students with less strong math skills

• Most engineering programs across the US require a minimum of 550 on the math SAT

• The EE program at Suffolk is typically successful with students whose math SAT scores are a minimum of 470. How?– Small class sizes– Study groups with every EE course– Good advising on what courses to take– Having students repeat courses– Offering remedial courses– Nurturing faculty

Summer 2012 email from an alumna (Math SAT score of 470 and a HS GPA of 2.7))

• I work as a Quality Engineer at Sensitech Inc in Beverly, MA and all this credit goes to SU and its Engineering dept. My education at Suffolk helped me get to this point in my life. I really appreciate all the encouragement and support I got from all my professors at Suffolk….

Another summer 2012 email from an alumnus(an honor student)

I have just finished my MEng Degree at Cornell few weeks ago and I am currently down in Houston, TX. I am starting my work assignment as a REMS Engineer at Schlumberger Limited - the top oilfield services company in the world. I am very pleased to say that I had a wonderful one-year experience at Cornell and I would say that my education from Suffolk University was a great plus for that. My experience in analog circuitry was highly valuable. Believe it or not Cornell undergraduate students have a very minimal exposure to lab work the way we do…

Students’ comments from Spring 2012 program survey about what they like about the EE program

• I like the teacher always available for student questions.• Personal and close knit community, professors seem approachable and treat

you as an individual.• It is small and close knit.• Small class size, availability of professors.• The teachers are great, they really care if you do well; the class size is really

nice because your teachers really get to know you; we cover a lot of material

2009 Alumni Survey Results for level of academic support

• 70% of alumni respondents gave the EE program a 5 (highest) • 30% gave it a 4 (second highest)

Student Centered Education

• Personal emails from ABET team after their 2010 visit:– It is obvious that you are putting the well-being and the

interest of the student at the top of your priorities. You are doing an excellent job at that-Mohamed Chouikha EE chairman at Howard University

– You and your faculty and staff colleagues are clearly committed to your students and dedicated to providing them the very best program possible- Ted Bickart, Dean Emeritus at the Colorado School of Mines.

– …it's obvious that you have built a department of competent, team-oriented, enthusiastic, caring people: W. Vance McCollough, senior engineer at Raytheon.

Partnerships with the power industry

• EE program partners with the following power engineering companies which provide internships and jobs to graduates as well as other support:– Phoenix Electric Corp.– Three C Corp– Electroswitch Corp– Omicron

IEEE Power and Energy Society

• Partner to encourage students to go into power engineering

• In October 2012, awarded two students scholarships which come with internships

• Power industry has huge need for electrical engineers since more than 60% of its workforce will be retiring in the next decade

Center for Energy Work Force Development

Companies of other members of Industrial Advisory Board

• MIT Lincoln Laboratory• Draper Laboratory• I Robot• AMD Corp• Bose Corp• Canon Design• BBN (Raytheon)

New Partnership

• The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts: AMCE/MA, located in Beacon Hill– AMCE/MA is in desperate need of electrical

engineers to specialize in designing electrical systems for buildings

– Has scholarship opportunities for students– Has internship possibilities for students

Partnerships with Boston Public High Schools

• EE program has partnerships with three BPHS’s:– John D. O’Bryant School of Science and Mathematics– TechBoston Academy– Boston Academy

• Partnering on setting a pipeline of students to come to Suffolk to study electrical engineering and then to work in the power industry

• EE students help HS students with both projects from Suffolk and from the HS’s

• EE faculty and students teach robotics to students in the summer• Collaborated on NSF grant (under review)

Partnerships with other Suffolk Departments (not a comprehensive list)

• Collaborated with Psychology on NSF grant proposal (with Tim Poynton, under review)

• Ongoing collaboration with Biology (joint labs, Carl Merrill)

• New collaboration with the Business School (George Moker, EE senior project students and entrepreneur students)

• Collaboration with Law School on 3/3 BSE in EE/ JD degree in intellectual property (Andrew Rodau, Gail Ellis, Ian Menchini)

• Ongoing partnership with Physics

Alumni involvement

• Members of IAB• Senior project supervisors• Arrangers for student shadowing• Arrangers of internships• Providers of research projects for faculty• Givers of presentations to students• Manning tables at open houses

Teacher-Scholars

• Presentations at Professional Conferences in the past 5 years:– ASEE (LS)– CDIO (LS)

• Published journal articles in past 5 years (LS, CWC)• Lectures given at Tokyo University, Waseda University,

Kitakyushu University (CMC)• For engineering faculty, more appropriate may be Teacher-

Scholar-Engineering Practitioner– Phoenix Electric Corp (LS, CWC)– Spaulding Rehab (CWC)– Toshiba Corp (CMC)