College of Engineering
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

A Vision for the College
The College will focus its energy on the following components that make up our vision:

By the numbers

A College with 85 faculty and 1,500 students and $20M in annual research funding in ten years, growing to 100 faculty, 2,000 students, and $40M in annual research

A Full Service College

A College that serves its stakeholders through the full range of services expected of a top engineering school:

• Excellent undergraduate and graduate engineering programs
• Cross disciplinary graduate and undergraduate programs, with the sciences, professional schools, social sciences, and even the arts
• National level research programs
• Strong K-12 Outreach programs
• International research and student exchange programs focused on Asia
• Distance learning and professional education programs
• A technology-transfer program focused on building Hawaii’s technology-rich industries
• Entrepreneurial programs for students and faculty joint with the Shidler College of Business Administration and the William S. Richardson School of Law

Rankings

A College that is enjoying steadily increasing rankings and ensuring that the College remains focused on retaining its national recognition

Differentiation and Distinction

A College that is sensitive to its environment and differentiates itself by building on distinctive characteristics including:

• Hawaiian and Pacific Island communities
• Oceanic environment
• East-meets-West location

Workforce Engine

A College that delivers a growing proportion of the engineering workforce needs to the State of Hawai‘i:

• Across an increasing spectrum of engineering disciplines
• Is instrumental in attracting and retaining high wage jobs and companies to the state

Teaching Excellence

A College that leverages its 100 year-old educational tradition with its anniversary in 2008:

• Attracts a growing fraction of Hawaii’s K-12 STEM students to the College and the University
• Attracts and builds upon its rich cultural environment and encourages involvement from all members of its community

Research Strength and Diversity

A College that has built a nationally competitive research program in fields that are important for Hawaii’s future and long-term national security and prosperity:

• Collaborates with other University of Hawai‘i schools and business and industry
• Focuses its research on the intellectual themes established for the College building pinnacles of national prominence

An Intellectual Focus for the College

The College will develop foci for its growing intellectual strength through the research and education programs it begins and sustains and the new faculty that it hires to support those programs.  The initial focus themes are:

1. Engineering for a Sustainable Hawai‘i
   • Continues the long tradition for sustainable engineering established by the Hawaiian culture
   • Expands Hawai‘i’s capacity to develop energy, infrastructure, and construction for a sustainable economy
   • Assists Hawai‘i in responding to the growing threats of global warming
2. Exploration Engineering
   • Leverages UHM School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) expertise in both planetary and ocean exploration
   • Builds on the new LEONIDAS joint program between the College of Engineering and SOEST to develop a launch facility for small and micro satellites from Kauai and the 2007 MOU between Hawai‘i and the NASA Ames Research Center
3. Engineering for a Secure Hawaii and U.S.
   • Leverages the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new presence in science and technology
   • Recognizes Hawai‘i’s position on the leading edge of effects from terrorism and the spread of disease from across the Pacific
   • Recognizes Hawai‘i’s  precarious lifestyle created through its isolation
4. Engineering in Support of Dual-Use Technologies
   • Leverages the presence of large military contractors in Hawai‘i
   • Develops and strengthens Hawai‘i’s technology-rich commercial sector driven by the military presence
5. Biomedical Engineering
   • Leverages the new UHM John A. Burns School of Medicine campus and the state and private investments into the medical school
   • Recognizes that the greatest expansion of new knowledge is occurring with the fusion of the life sciences, physical sciences, and information sciences

Current Projects Being Pursued by the College

• Working to establish firm working relations with the military in Hawai‘i, both as a long established employer of our students and as a leading force in technological development in Hawai‘i.
• Building on our Native Hawaiian Engineering Retention Program and leveraging the success to build similar models addressing other groups within the student body. The College’s first class graduated in 2007.
• Enhancing the College’s K-12 STEM education programs by leveraging the Governor’s and the Legislature’s recent initiatives. Working with many groups in Hawai‘i to accelerate the development of K-12 STEM outreach.
• Attracting a larger student base to join the College, by recruiting both inside and outside Hawai‘i and reaching out to Hawaii’s K-12 schools.
• Working with the UH community colleges to promote more availability of engineering courses and pre-engineering courses in all the Hawaiian islands.
• Leveraging the successful “Big Science” programs already established at UH through SOEST and the Institute for Astronomy by connecting our faculty and students to the considerable engineering projects that make Big Science feasible.
• Leveraging UH’s considerable Congressional access to better position College research programs for federal funding.
• Building the College’s relationships with industry at all levels, including small business, large mainland contractors, and government agencies to support their workforce needs and to better assist industry support of the College’s needs.
• Building ties to prominent Asian universities in Japan, China, Korea, India, and Vietnam by leveraging the considerable existing connections of UH and College faculty.
• Joining with the UHM Shidler College of Business Administration and the William S. Richardson School of Law to form an entrepreneurial center, providing new opportunities for our students and faculty.
• Building an external group of well-positioned individuals from Hawai‘i and the mainland who can assist the Dean in developing strategies that will move the College towards the stated vision.
• Improving the status of the engineering profession in Hawai‘i and creating the case for enhanced focus on engineering at UH in order to help build a future for Hawai‘i supported by a robust technology-rich and environmentally friendly commercial sector.