AE Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2002

The AE Department is preparing for another action-packed year.  We will receive an accreditation review of our B.A.E. program this fall from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), a formal program review that occurs every six years -- when things go as well as possible.   I feel we are well prepared for the ABET review team visit in October.  The Department is now at full faculty strength (i.e., there are no open faculty positions), so the levels of teaching, research and service activity in the Department should be outstanding this year.  We continue to make incremental improvements with our “vintage” physical facilities to support the extensive teaching mission and the growing research mission of the Department.  I appreciate the many positive comments I have received from returning alumni who have noted the positive improvements we have made recently with our physical facilities.

One area that continues to be a challenge for us is recruiting top-quality graduate students to our research-oriented M.S. and Ph.D. programs.  Part of this challenge is due to our own AE Career Fair successes at placing our B.A.E. graduates in attractive industry positions – which is certainly not a “problem” in the broader sense.  However, we would welcome applications for AE graduate studies from those of you who aspire to enrich your academic backgrounds and have an interest in advancing the technological underpinnings of the Architectural Engineering profession.  Please contact us if you would like more information.

Best wishes to you and your families.

Yours truly,

Richard A. Behr, Ph.D., P.E.
Department Head