The faculty, staff, and students at the College of Engineering & Technology (CET) represent an outstanding community whose work makes significant contributions to the Utah Valley region and beyond.

Those who have lived in this area and are familiar with UVU’s history note that much has changed over the past decade: enrollment has increased, new buildings have sprouted all over the campus, new ones are being planned, and the academic preparation of our students has never been better. This amazing progress notwithstanding, the Utah Valley region still desperately needs workers with the right set of skills. The technology companies surveyed by the Utah Technology Council have emphasized their struggle to find qualified candidates to fill engineering and technology positions and stated that they often must go out-of-state to recruit.

Given this roadmap, emerging technologies in computer science, information systems, cybersecurity, construction, transportation, and digital media are being integrated into our existing programs. We have developed new engineering programs deemed critical to the mission of UVU.

2024-2025 CET College Level Goals

Our goals for the 2024-2025 academic year are as follow:

Last update: 7/29/2024 to Academic Affairs via  PBA assessment and administrative unit plan

Priority 1: Majors, retention, and completions 

Goal #1: Work with academic departments, with a focus on engineering initiative related areas, to ensure proper academic program placement followed by strengthened retention.

Institutional Priority: Performance funding and b) exceptional care, accountability and results

Link from Goal to Priority: By ensuring students are in appropriate academic programs we can encourage student retention and completion, even if from other departments.

Objective: Improve correct academic program placement rate for incoming students with a focus on engineering initiative related areas by the end of the academic year.

Assessment:

• Track and analyze the placement of incoming and current students
• Assess general expectations and satisfaction, via academic advisors, discussing alignment of their intentions and expectations with their chosen programs.
• Gather baseline data on retention and graduation rates for our spectrum of academic awards offered.

Funding: Faculty positions allocated to areas of demonstrated growth.

Link between Goal and Funding: Ensure we have adequate faculty in place to meet student demand.

 

Priority 2: Reorganizations and additions (i.e., administrative unit reorganizations, new programs)

Goal #2: Continue the process of implementing and adjusting our new academic departments: Technology Management and Mechatronics (TMM), Applied Engineering and Transportation Technologies (AETT), Mechanical and Civil Engineering (MCE), and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

Institutional Priority: Higher education innovation; b) exceptional care, accountability, and results, c) performance funding

Link from Goal to Priority: The creation and continuous improvement of these departments demonstrate our commitment to providing exceptional educational experiences. By monitoring and adjusting our programs, we ensure that students receive personalized support and high-quality education, leading to better outcomes and higher satisfaction rates.

Objectives:

• Continue process of administration reorganization, not just of existing and new departments, but also begin planning for future modifications such as Aircraft Maintenance Professional (AMP) in collaboration between Aviation Science and with Applied Engineering and Transportation Technologies.
• Work across all departments to address anticipated needs for Applied AI (such as with new academic awards, collaborative projects, or similar)

Assessment:

• Establish baseline data and monitor performance metrics of student admissions,
• Establish baseline data and begin monitoring retention of the academic awards offered (degrees granted)
• Establish baseline data of associated institutional costs for new or modified academic departments as compared to current academic departments.
• For continuing academic award offerings, track graduation rates (not using IPEDs completion which is not accurate at a college or department level, but actual graduation rates for the academic awards)

Funding: Clarification and expansion of operational budgets, particularly for those departments with almost no operational budget at all—mechanical and civil engineering.

Link between Goal and Funding: Ensure academic departments have comparable funds available to other departments of similar size and stature.

 

Priority 3: Space, people, and money (i.e., new building, faculty needs – increases and decreases, equipment repair and replace)

Goal #3:  Establish a clearer understanding of budget, allocations, and expected needs for the college down to the department level and work to identify and start addressing shortcomings.

Institutional Priority: Performance funding, b) revenue generation

Link from Goal to Priority: Funds received for the new building are also revenue generation for the institution. The new building, in turn, will help ensure we are meeting student demand, which should have a positive impact on measures for performance funding.

Objective: Seek and secure major gifts from alumni and corporate donors

Assessment: Establish baseline data of budgets and expected expenses for academic departments

• • Begin to establish baseline data of projected needs for items such as equipment at the department level.
  • Begin to establish baseline data of projected needs budgetarily for the college overall.
• Begin to establish methods to address increasing budgetary needs in the short and medium term.
• Complete fund raising for the new Engineering Building. Currently an additional $7.3 million continues to be needed.
  • Raise $7.3 million through major gifts from alumni and corporate donors by the end of the fiscal year.
  • Develop targeted outreach campaigns, host donor events, and create personalized proposals to engage potential major donors.