The College of Engineering enjoys tremendous support from its staff. The majority of the College’s staff personnel are either clerical (secretaries, administrative assistants) or technical professionals (research scientists, systems administrators). The number of staff in the College of Engineering has increased by 28, from 61 in 1990 to 89 in 1996 (see Figure 7).

FIGURE 7. Staff Distribution (General Fund and Non-General Fund).

Most of the increase occurred in two departments, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geological Engineering and Sciences, and is due primarily to the increase in staff supported by external research funds. The number of staff supported by general fund dollars has decreased from 61 in 1990 to 57 in 1996.

As with other units on campus, the College of Engineering has few promotional opportunities for its staff personnel. Many College departments do try to involve staff by including them on committees and in departmental governance.

As a result of the Hay Study, staff in many job classifications have seen increases in their salaries during recent years. However, several departments would like to identify other methods for increasing staff salaries commensurate with their duties and performance.

Departments encourage professional growth for staff by encouraging them to attend professional seminars and workshops. Many staff personnel also take advantage of their educational benefit and regularly take courses on campus that can lead to advanced degrees.

University Goal 6. Provide Comprehensive Information Technology Services.

The College has had a major initiative to integrate computers into the curricula and to give students and faculty access to modern computing. Computing facilities are less centralized than in 1988. Departmental computer fees and course computer fees for computer-intensive courses have allowed departments to establish student computer networks that can be continually updated. The University no longer has centralized academic computing. Start-up packages allow new faculty to purchase new computer equipment and software, while University and departmental funds help faculty to upgrade their computers. In addition, computer networks are departmentally based with at least one dedicated systems administrator to maintain the departmental network. The strengths of the current computer funding system are that it allows departments to continuously upgrade network facilities, to react quickly to changing software needs, and to design the computer system to fit the needs of the department. All students have access to e-mail, the WWW, and several spreadsheet and word-processing software packages. Most gain experience in the latest software packages common to their discipline and in both DOS and UNIX operating systems. Development of new software packages and faster computers with more memory at a reasonable price provide opportunities for faculty to fulfill more of their computing needs with a computer in their office or lab. These developments also allow students greater access to modern computers and computer techniques very similar to those used by industry. New developments in computer-based teaching and visualization (smart classrooms) provide teachers with new ways to educate students. The major weakness of decentralized computing is that departmentally based systems are a challenge to coordinate. Such a system requires significant space.

University Goal 7. Develop the MTU Campus and Continuously Maintain the Physical Plant.

The completion of the Minerals and Materials Building has relieved overcrowding in two departments, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Mining Engineering. The expected completion of the Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building in 1998 will supply Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geological Engineering and Sciences with much needed space, and will increase space for Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics.

Departments and the College are increasingly active in raising funds to remodel classroom and office space. Civil and Environmental Engineering obtained funds from NSF and alumni through its "Partnering with the Future" Campaign to remodel classroom and laboratory space and equip several "smart" classrooms. Geological Engineering and Sciences is planning an alumni campaign for the same purpose. Chemical Engineering tapped industry to help remodel the Process Simulation Control Center. The College of Engineering is in the process of hiring a development team of two to four people to help raise funds for the departments and College. Part of the funds will be targeted for buildings and for remodeling laboratories and classrooms. The advantage of departmentally based fundraising for lab and classroom space is that departments with the means and will to do so can update lab and classroom space more often. However, the increased load on department chairs and faculty threatens to decrease time devoted to teaching and research. Necessary repairs and upgrades in laboratory and classroom space are often delayed and space is very limited. Another threat is that decreased State funding for buildings may make it difficult for the University to fulfill the space needs of the College of Engineering.

University Goal 8: Provide a Stable Financial Environment and Enhance Resource Acquisition.

In order to provide a stable financial environment, the College of Engineering has an Associate Dean to plan, project, and monitor the College budget and to help with fundraising. In the near future, the College, in conjunction with Advancement and the departments, will hire at least two additional advancement officers. The officers will be located within the College and will work closely with departments to acquire gifts over $10,000. Departments are now taking a greater role in fundraising. The most experienced department in fundraising is Civil and Environmental Engineering, which has successfully completed Phase 1 of a campaign to renovate laboratory space in Dillman Hall and is planning a second phase of the campaign. Since 1988, the University has been expanding and decentralizing fundraising activities and encouraging departments and Colleges to initiate their own campaigns in coordination with the central office. The major strength of departmental and College fundraising is that it taps those alumni who are loyal to departments or disciplines.

A major threat to the financial environment of the departments and College is the University’s 1% realignment policy. Although such a system provides the opportunity to initiate and fund new programs, it has produced financial hardship on the College and departments, especially in terms of their supplies, services, and equipment (SS&E) budget. All departments said that their major weakness was a lack of SS&E for day-to-day operation of the departments. This lack of funds left nothing for faculty development or innovative programs. All departments but one have had a substantial decrease in SS&E since 1988. In 1996, College SS&E was 42% of the amount available for SS&E in 1988.

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