PRIORITY 1

BROADEN OUR IMPACT

Sponsored research and strategic partnerships that propel innovation, impact, and reputation.

GOAL 1: Elevate our research enterprise and emphasize dissemination in high-impact venues

• Increase support to faculty to enable them to develop and maintain sustainable and impactful research programs
• Increase the number of large awards and funding sources in the blue economy and other areas of key strengths
• Position COE as a strategic and trusted partner to local, state, and federal agencies
• Expand strategic partnerships with international educational and research institutions
• Emphasize dissemination in high-impact venues

GOAL 2: Evolve into a world-class hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and public-private partnerships

• Seek active partnerships with industry, alumni, and other research partners
• Emphasize the transformation of intellectual property into commercial enterprises
• Increase the use of research core facilities

GOAL 3: Increase our visibility and improve our reputation

• Improve communications, digital impact, and marketing
• Increase faculty, staff, and student visibility and recognition
• Increase the number of high-profile visitors from academia, industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations

PRIORITY 2

ENHANCE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND FOSTER A DIVERSE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Robust student enrollment, engagement, and success in quality programs that meet market demands and student needs.

GOAL 1:
Articulate a focused outreach and recruitment strategy that ensures a diverse learning environment

• Strengthen meaningful engagements with K-12
• Collaborate with R.I. high schools to establish academic pathways into COE
• Enhance partnerships with local and neighboring community colleges to establish a seamless transfer into the COE
• Promote, advise, and support Exploring Engineering (currently wanting engineering) option

GOAL 2:
Invigorate the learning environment to reflect active, high-impact learning practices

• Strengthen active learning and interdisciplinary opportunities that are well integrated into the curriculum
• Redesign the first-year student experience to improve student engagement and retention
• Expand the capstone design experience to integrate research- and industry-sponsored interdisciplinary projects
• Increase undergraduate student participation in research, international, service, and experiential learning
• Reinvigorate student organization activities and competitions
• Align activities and initiatives across the college to compound impact

GOAL 3:
Ensure academic success and support the personal well-being of all students

• Improve student readiness and performance in mathematics and other foundational courses
• Expand offerings of courses students find most challenging across all academic terms and modalities to ensure timely degree completion
• Design a contemporary one-stop-shop student success center to ensure academic success and support the personal well-being of all students

GOAL 4:
Increase graduate student enrollment and degree completion

• Improve recruitment of graduate students
• Design pathways for nonengineers to pursue a graduate engineering degree
• Increase the number of working professionals enrolled in graduate programs
• Explore the development of joint programs with local and regional universities
• Redesign the Ph.D. program to allow opportunities for more scholarship, collaboration, and unique interdisciplinary experiences
• Increase the number of IEP dual Master’s students pursuing a Ph.D.
• Ensure graduate student academic success, engagement, and sense of belonging

PRIORITY 3

OPERATE EFFECTIVELY

Become a people-centered, high-performing, service-oriented and appropriately resourced enterprise.

GOAL 1:
Cultivate community

• Make college-wide gatherings more meaningful and engaging
• Establish a culture of service to our community
• Attract, recognize, and retain outstanding staff

GOAL 2:
Improve efficiency of administrative processes and foster a commitment to service excellence

• Optimize usage of space to increase opportunities for collaboration and engagement
• Reenvision staff organizational structure to achieve operational excellence
• Establish and communicate clear standards of operating procedures that are easily accessible and understood

GOAL 3:
Develop financial model with diverse funding sources to empower and incentivize faculty and staff to achieve our mission

• Increase philanthropic support for strategic initiatives for the college
• Empower departments with budgetary responsibility and control