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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Trustees approve engineering program

The IU Board of Trustees unanimously approved an engineering program at IU-Bloomington on Thursday.

The board met Thursday at IU-Bloomington for the Academic Affairs and University Policies Committee, chaired by Patrick Shoulders, and the University Relations Committee, chaired by James Morris.

The board will convene again Friday for the Facilities and Auxiliaries Committee, chaired by Philip Eskew, and the Finance, Audit and Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Andrew Mohr.

IU President Michael McRobbie, Provost Lauren Robel and School of Informatics and Computing Dean Robert Schnabel updated the trustees on the proposal for an engineering program on the Bloomington campus.

The Bicentennial Strategic Plan, approved in December, stated IU’s intent to appoint an external blue ribbon review committee to assess the feasibility of establishing an engineering program at the University.

“An engineering program at Indiana University-Bloomington is vital if the campus is to reach its fullest potential in providing students with relevant and rewarding educational opportunities and to support the very best research of our faculty,” McRobbie said. “Such a program, based on its strong traditions of critical analysis, creativity, innovation and exploration, will substantially enhance our ability to increase Indiana’s economic competitiveness and to support a culture of entrepreneurs across the whole state.”

The committee proposed that IU establish an engineering program, placed under the School of Informatics and Computing, focused on small-scale technologies, rather than large-scale artifacts.

The committee also proposed that IU launch a bachelor of science in engineering and a doctoral degree in engineering by the fall of 2016, and master of science in engineering by the fall of 2017. The trustees unanimously approved the bachelor of science in engineering degree, which will focus on bioengineering, computer engineering, cyberphysical systems and molecular and nanoscale engineering.

The trustees also unanimously approved the doctoral degree in engineering, which will focus on bioengineering, computer engineering, cyberphysical systems, environmental engineering, molecular and nanoscale engineering and neuro-engineering.

Initially, the program will admit roughly 125 undergraduate students, 100 master’s student and 10 doctoral students, Schnabel said. The program will also employ between 20 and 25 new core engineering faculty members.

“I’ve heard from many faculty, directly and indirectly, at both IU and neighboring institutions, and I can sum up their comments in basically two phrases: ‘Great’ and ‘What took you so long,’” Schnabel said.

Additionally, the trustees also approved a new degree: a Ph.D. in Music Technology at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Tom Morrison, IU vice president of capital planning and facilities, and Bill Brown, IU director of sustainability, also updated the trustees on university sustainability programs.

During the past academic year, the Office of Sustainability employed 30 students, recruited more than 1,000 volunteers and reached more than 30,000 participants.

It also established a living-learning lab and a greek sustainability program.

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