Dean candidate addresses
lack of leadership, needs of faculty
By Kurt Esposito
Summer
Editor
The Schools of Engineering need to provide better
facilities and more comfortable working climate for its faculty, said
Linda Katehi, the fourth finalist for the dean of the Schools of Engineering.
"I can’t see the University leading its peers
without state of the art facilities," she said.
She said state of the art facilities are needed
for the faculty to further their research and teaching.
Another way to provide for a better work environment,
she said, is to provide more rewards for faculty, students and staff.
Katehi, the associate dean for academic affairs
in the University of Michigan's College of Engineering and a professor
of electrical engineering and computer science, spoke at an open forum
Thursday afternoon for the position of the dean of the Schools of Engineering.
She gave a presentation titled "Challenges and Opportunities in Engineering
Education," where she outlined issues that the Schools will have to
face over the next few years because of changes in the field.
"Issues I think are extremely important for the
Schools of Engineering, for it to lead among its peers," she said.
Some of the issues she outlined were leadership
in education, academic excellence and visionary research. She said all
these areas need to be improved to give Purdue a higher standing in
the inclusive academic community.
She said the improvements include the promotion
of life-long learning and innovative curriculum.
She said she would like to have private industries
more involved with the schools. She said they could help plan a curriculum
that would better prepare students to pursue careers when they graduate.
"This is how the University is going to be recognized;
this is how the University will become the leader at the national level,"
she said.
Richard Schwartz, dean of the Schools of Engineering,
will step down from his position on June 30.
Gary Krutz, professor of agricultural engineering,
asked what she thought of Purdue's role as a land grant University.
Katehi said a university needs to find a balance
in terms of providing research assistance to both the state of Indiana
and to the nation. She said Purdue is already good at doing this, but
it could be better.
Vincent Drnevich, professor of civil engineering,
asked what she thought about the fields of science and engineering sometimes
overlapping.
Katehi said it is sometimes necessary for the fields
to merge, especially with emerging fields such as nanotechnology.
Katehi is the last of four finalists for the dean
position to visit the campus and take part in an open forum.
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