CEE Strategic Plan
Introduction
In 1998 the University of Washington's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering produced an aggressive and comprehensive strategic plan aimed at significantly changing the way business was done in the Department. The 1998 strategic plan included 24 objectives categorized by those aimed at improving instruction, research, service, and overall quality. The progress the Department has made toward satisfying these objectives has been remarkable. In two short years there has been significant curriculum reform, administrative reform, changes in undergraduate and graduate degree requirements, and a general refocusing of the Department's fundraising, alumni relationship, and overall goals. As we enter the next millennium, the Department is poised for reaching new heights of excellence.
The intent of this updated Strategic plan is to mark the progress that we have made since the last strategic plan and to revise the course for the years to come in light of the Department's recent progress and changing internal and external dynamics. This will be done with the realization that the University of Washington's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering continues to be nationally and internationally recognized as one of the world's premier programs. In some recent rankings the Department's undergraduate program has been ranked 11th best in the nation (1993 Gorman Report), its graduate program 13th best (1998 US News and World Report) and its doctoral program 13th in effectiveness and 14th in quality (1995 National Research Council). When one considers the hundreds of universities that offer degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering, this is indeed a great accomplishment. However, the Department has the responsibility to remain at the fore-front of Civil and Environmental Engineering education and research and to improve in comparison to other upper level Civil and Environmental Engineering departments. As the flagship Civil and Environmental Department in the state of Washington and the entire Pacific Northwest, we have an obligation to identify and continually take advantage of opportunities for improvement in the current era of rapidly evolving educational and research needs. The improvement process is complicated by the pervasive expansion and advancement of computational and information-system technologies, but these technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for organizations prepared to exploit them.
As with our 1998 strategic plan we will again inventory the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's strengths and weaknesses and identify needs and opportunities for change. This new strategic plan will serve as the basis for a continuing commitment to improve the instruction, research, service, and overall quality of the Department and to develop the implementation approaches needed to achieve the objectives presented here-in. This update of our 1998 stra-tegic plan demonstrates our Depart-ment's commitment to continue its strategic thinking and continue a strategic process that will lead the University of Washington's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department to new heights of excellence in the coming years.
Vision
The University of Washington's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department continues to face many new challenges in a rapidly changing professional, educational and institu-tional environment. In this regrad, we can identify four influential trends that impact Civil and Environmental Engineering education and research. First, the national and international trend toward downsizing, efficiency, and accountability requires a continual rethinking of the Department's role in the University and its responsibility to society. Second, the unprecedented advancement in technology and the way information is acquired and processed requires the Department to continue to establish processes for quick and effective change of curriculum and research focus. Third, because Civil and Environmental Engineering projects involve many technical and non-technical (social and economic impacts) aspects, the Department must continue to strengthen its commitment to multi-disciplinary outreach. Such outreach will continue to be a critical underpinning of successful and prominent Civil and Environmental Engineering Departments in the coming years. Finally, the Department must continue to address the changing demo-graphics and educational needs of potential students. From proactive approaches for recruiting a talented student body to degree programs that reflect changing professional needs, our department must remain forward thinking, flexible and adaptive.
The University of Washington's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department will retain its position as the most highly respected Civil and Environmental Engineering department in the Pacific Northwest and improve on its reputation and position as one of the most highly respected Civil and Environmental Engineering programs in the nation. The Department will continue to make important contributions to the environment, infrastructure, and economic welfare of Washington State and the nation. However, the Department must continue its stra-tegic efforts to quickly and effectively adapt to the changing conditions it will face in the coming years. University of Washington Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates must be given the knowledge, skills, and innovative thinking that will allow them to address future Civil and Environmental Engineering problems and the Department's research must be relevant and pioneering so as to influence professional practice and the advance of Civil and Environmental Engineering knowledge and education.
Mission
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's mission has instructional, research, service, and quality improvement components. In terms of instruction, the Department seeks to provide the highest quality of undergraduate and graduate education available in the nation. At the undergraduate level, the Department's mission is to provide a broad-based education and design experience that enables students to address complex and multi-faceted Civil and Environmental Engineering problems. The Department also seeks to provide students the fundamental elements to enable them to evolve in the profession in response to changing technology and societal needs and expectations. Beyond this, the Department's undergraduate instruction seeks to provide the preparation needed, and impart the intellectual curiosity required, for graduate studies and research. At the graduate level, the Department's mission is to impart the knowledge and provide the intellectual environment that will foster the highest level of research and critical, innovative thinking.
As Washington State's flagship university, the University of Washington, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, are committed to conducting outstanding, intellectually stimulating, and relevant research and to integrating its re-search into the Department's instructional mission. To this end, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is committed to conducting both basic and applied research. Basic research is critical because it provides important new insights into Civil and Environmental Engineering problems and serves as the basis for evolution of innovative thinking in the field. Basic research contributes immediately to the Department's graduate instruction and eventually to its undergraduate instructional mission. Applied research provides immediate benefits to the engineering profession, citizens of Washington State and the nation, and contributes to the Department's undergraduate and graduate instructional missions directly through inclusion in the curriculum and indirectly through the knowledge and experience that the faculty gain by undertaking applied research projects.
The Department's service mission is contributing to the profession and University, and providing specialized knowledge to assist in solving the problems facing society. This includes the obligation to identify new and evolving societal problems as well as providing the time and effort needed to address existing problems. The Department seeks to have this notion of service actively exercised by the faculty, and impressed upon the Department's undergraduate and graduate students as a vital component of their professional career.
The long-term success of any organization requires a commitment to continuous quality improvement. The Department is committed to continuously improve the physical and administrative environment within which its students, faculty, and staff function and to aggressively pursue opportunities that will ensure the long-term health, visibility, and vitality of the Department. Continuous quality improvement is essential to the success of instructional, research, and service missions.