Strategic Plan

These 2027 goals are:

The transformation necessary to achieve these goals is ongoing, and several significant steps have already been taken to move the college forward. This includes a $190M investment in facilities on City Campus that will provide world-class teaching and research facilities for the first time in our history. The $75M Phase 1 project that is rebuilding the Link and renovating Scott Engineering Center, primarily to support our research enterprise, is ongoing and scheduled for completion in Fall 2023. The architecture and construction firms are being hired for Kiewit Hall, the $115M Phase 2 project funded entirely by private funds. When opened in Fall 2023, the college will have world-class facilities to deliver our undergraduate and graduate degree programs and to develop the next generation of Complete Engineers^® in support of the Nebraska construction, engineering and computing industries.

With the support of the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the College of Engineering has also established the School of Computing, the first of its kind in the region. Built on the foundation of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the university has committed $3.5M in permanent salaries and an additional $6.5 in startup investments to the new school.

The impact of this strategy is already evident in the successful hiring of the founding director of the school, Dr. Marilyn Wolf, who most recently was a chaired professor at Georgia Tech. That we are able to recruit such high-quality faculty in a hyper-competitive market is further testament to the success of this strategy. Over the next few years, the faculty of the School of Computing will build a world-class software engineering degree program to serve the needs of Nebraska industry and provide all students in the College of Engineering with a computational background essential to the next generation of the engineering and construction workforce.

The university has also made a significant investment through its authorization of faculty hires in the College of Engineering. In the last five years, we have hired more than 60 new faculty and the faculty ranks have grown to 240. This represents significant progress toward the 2027 goal of 280 faculty.

These hires are already having impact through increased research expenditures, innovative coursework and curricula, and a dramatic increase in the number of high-profile awards received, including prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Awards. Over one-third of the new faculty are from underrepresented groups. This is meaningful progress in the diversification of our faculty and will also be critical to our broader diversity and inclusion goals.

To capitalize on these investments and to ensure the college is being a good steward of the resources of the state, the university and its donors, we have developed a five-year strategic plan that will enable us to make considerable progress toward these 2027 goals.

Vision

THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING IMPROVES THE LIVES OF EVERY NEBRASKAN.
We pursue this vision through our shared values of Community, Impact and Inclusion.

These values are embedded in and strengthened by the academic ideals of the university, the ethos of Nebraskans, and the principles of the entire Nebraska Engineering community.

Community
We believe in the individual, but know that inclusive communities result in better solutions.

Impact
Every student, staff member and faculty member in the college prioritizes actions and initiatives that actually make a difference.

Inclusion
The college and its disciplines welcome all people and all rational ideas, because we know that diversity of people and ideas enhances impact.

Mission

TO DRIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE STATE AND REGION WHILE SOLVING PROBLEMS OF GLOBAL IMPORTANCE.
The College of Engineering will fulfill this mission through our deep commitment to engineering, computing and construction education, research and engagement. As the only engineering college in Nebraska, we have a particularly strong commitment to the state to ensure our resources and opportunities are accessible to all Nebraskans.

An essential and distinctive pillar of our mission is the notion of the Complete Engineer. At its most fundamental, the Complete Engineer® is a commitment by the college to the development of every student, staff member and faculty member in technical, professional and personal dimensions. It enables each individual to become the best version of themselves in support of the fulfillment of the college’s mission and reinforces the values of Community, Impact and Inclusion.