Core beliefs
Diversity Drives Innovation
Our nation's future depends on its ability to be a global leader in innovation, and diversity is a key to innovation. Diversity has already developed into an economic asset for corporations, universities, and other organizations that hire engineers and computer scientists. The innovation advantage created by a diverse workforce includes a diverse set of cognitive tools, and identity diversity (e.g., race and ethnicity) contributes significantly to this cognitive tool set. Moreover, the looming engineering workforce shortage crisis, caused by a combination of baby-boomer retirements and flat engineering enrollments, can be solved by tapping into segments of the population currently under-represented in engineering, including Hispanics.
Collaboration Creates Opportunities
The success of our College depends critically on our ability to create opportunities for our faculty, students, staff, and other stakeholders. These opportunities will present themselves through collaborations at the individual and organizational level. Collaborations that we will promote include those among individual faculty members within and external to the College, among departments within and external to the College, between the College and other colleges/units at UTEP, and between the College and external corporations, universities and other organizations.
Research Fuels Preeminence
The College seeks to be among the national leaders in several key niche areas. Research is the necessary fuel to ignite the growth and further development of our programs. Rigorous research, funded through competitive and peer-reviewed processes, in education and targeted interdisciplinary areas of science and engineering, will ensure the effectiveness of our programs, and will enable the wide dissemination and implementation of our ideas and inventions.
Balance Secures Sustainability
A balanced investment portfolio ensures long term growth and sustainability by buffering potential losses in one sector with gains in another. Likewise, the College must invest it's time, effort, and resources in an appropriately balanced set of activities that will optimize outcomes by expanding the opportunities available to our faculty, staff, and students. The College will therefore strive to maintain an appropriate balance among teaching, research, and service activities; between opportunities for student learning within and beyond the classroom; and in our funding portfolio of basic, peer-reviewed research relative to commercial-driven applied research and engineering services.