Transformation of the College of Technology

On December 7, 2012, I presented to the faculty and staff my recommendations for transforming the college. To paraphrase from my proposal:

The College of Technology is at a critical moment in its history as the original reason for its formation is no longer the primary reason for its continued existence and relevance. Technology today is very different than it was 50 years ago.  The original undergraduate teaching mission of the college is only one of our important missions along with graduate education, funded research, engagement, and globalization.

To truly transform the college and move us from Good to Great, I propose we focus our efforts on four major topics or themes:

1) Change the name of the college to communicate a clear and distinct break from our past and more clearly communicate the mission of the college.

2) Reorganize the college’s administrative structure so that we create synergies around broad technical areas or discipline areas while still retaining programmatic and fundamental discipline-level distinction.

3) Focus our curriculum efforts around a lineage that is based on engineering fundamentals, computer science fundamentals, and management and leadership fundamentals but with an emphasis on application blended with theory.

4) Create a budget model that searches for efficiencies and funds the college at a rate necessary to deliver preeminent programs.

I have attached the full draft proposal to this blog post and we are in the process of discussing the four themes described above. If you have any comments or recommendations please respond to this blog post.

About The Author

Gary Bertoline's picture
Gary R. Bertoline is Dean of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology, and a Professor of Computer & Information Technology. Prior to becoming dean, he served as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Technology. From 1995 through 2002, Gary served as Department Head of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University.