• Implementation of Service and Outreach Plan

Implementation of Outreach, Economic Development, and Service Plan

Enhance the impact of the College both within and outside the university through service, outreach, and economic development.

A critical component of our vision is reaching beyond the physical walls of the College with research, education, and service.  We have an obligation to share our knowledge and expertise with the campus community, the profession, the state, and the world. The areas of focus for outreach will be distance and continuing education, increased interaction with our stakeholders, enhanced entrepreneurial activities by the faculty, and service to the campus.

The College must prepare to meet the increasing demand for access to its courses, programs, and resources for citizens beyond the Fayetteville campus. We must be ready to meet the growing need for professional short courses and certificate programs, as well as access to basic and advanced course for academic credit. Improving the education and skills of the existing workforce will have a direct impact on the state’s economic success.  A shining example of such a program is the MS degree in Operations Management offered by the Department of Industrial Engineering that has awarded over a hundred degrees per year for the past several years and has provided access to relevant advanced education to working professionals. This program can be replicated in other areas of engineering and can also be expanded to include international locations.

The College must continue to increase opportunities for interaction between the College and its stakeholders, particularly the industries, agencies, and other interested and affected parties we serve. This dialogue will allow us to share our vision with others and will give us the feedback we need to better focus our efforts.  The closer interactions between the College and its stakeholders will strengthen all aspects of the mission of the College. Towards that end the College will develop a conference series on technology and innovation, to be held annually, to engage the local, state, national, and international communities in discussions about technological challenges and opportunities for economic development.

The College of Engineering occupies a pivotal position in the economic success of the state. The growing consensus is that the emerging economy in the US will be based upon innovation; thus increased prosperity is dependent upon innovation, invention, and the creation and development of intellectual property.  As the pace of technological change accelerates it is critical that our graduates provide the knowledge and skills necessary for business and industry to thrive. The quality of the faculty and the educational opportunities presented to our students create the knowledge-based workforce to feed an innovation-based industry that will serve the State of Arkansas. 
 
An entrepreneurial environment that encourages risk-taking and research innovation is necessary for students and faculty to attain new levels of discovery and insight. The existing policies of the College are supporting this strategy, and the outcomes have been significant. The GENESIS Technology Incubator was established by the College to form a platform for such discovery and insight. The management of this program was transferred to the Arkansas Research and Technology Park in 2004 but the College of Engineering will continue to play a critical role in the success of the Park. We will continue to encourage faculty and students to become entrepreneurs and to actively engage in technology transfer of their innovations to generate wealth for Arkansas and to create high value jobs in the state.

Moreover, the College and the University depend upon faculty to serve in various roles and on numerous committees to assist in governance of and service to the institution. These range from management of the curricula to accreditation efforts and internal review committees. Without the participation of faculty, these processes do not benefit from their collective experience, knowledge, and points of view.  Encouraging and rewarding faculty for participation in College and University governance is important to achieving the goals of the College. 

The following actions are necessary to successfully implement the Outreach, Economic Development and Service Plan.   Table 6 summarizes the metrics (measurable outcomes) that will be used to assess our progress in meeting our goals.

Implementation Actions

• Increase the professional development programs available at a distance
• Develop a common internet site listing the programs and courses offered through distance education by the College
• Establish a faculty learning technology training program and standard format for conversion of courses to distance-delivery
• Establish a classroom technology upgrade plan for making technology delivery accessible
• Develop a conference series on University of Arkansas College of Engineering Technology and Innovation Opportunities
• Establish a system that rewards and recognizes entrepreneurial efforts and industry partnership
• Establish a system that rewards and recognizes service to the College and University

  Table 5:  Metrics for implementing the Outreach, Economic Development and Service Plan 

  Metric Description	Unit	UAF COE Current	COE Strategic Plan Goal/Target
  Professional Development Courses/Programs	Courses per year or percent of all courses
  Classroom Technology Upgrades	Number of classrooms with distance learning technology available
  Technology and Innovation Conference	Number of participants each year
  Innovation and Invention	Number of Utility Patents issued to Faculty per year
  Economic Development	Number of SBIR/STTR proposals submitted by College Faculty per year
  Technology and Innovation Transfer	Number of hours spent on consulting by COE Faculty
  Faculty participation in University and College service	Number of Faculty per year