SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 52)

Dr. Claiborn confers with a student on a site. “Students, teachers, counidentity and vision, not just Recommended Reading selors, and parents who for tomorrow, but also for aren’t engineers don’t know the next decade or so. enough about engineering. Dr. Blanchard recommends three “Another wonderful part books for SWE readers: I’m working with some of about being dean is the our faculty to get grants to opportunity to view the I Composing a Life, by Mary address these issues,” she world through a new lens. Catherine Bateson added. I am an ambassador for I Who Moved My Cheese? An Dr. Blanchard finds her engineering in the broadest Amazing Way to Deal with Change role as founding director sense. I must consider the in Your Work and in Your Life, by particularly satisfying. “For future of engineering and Spencer Johnson, M.D. me in this particular job, its impact on our society I Hostage at the Table – How building a new program and help to shape engiLeaders Can Overcome Conflict, from a blank slate and literneering so the greatest Influence Others, and Raise ally from the ground up is impact can be achieved. I Performance, the best part,” she said. also have the privilege of by George Kohlrieser So far, she has guided the participating in and infludevelopment of the vision encing the national converand mission for the new sation about the future of “All three books have helped me engineering school; started engineering here and through difficult situations and, I believe, have helped me to become a three undergraduate proabroad.” better leader,” Dr. Blanchard noted. grams (bioengineering, civil She hopes that her instiAccording to Dr. Keller-McNulty, engineering, and environtution is a positive and mental engineering); hired enjoyable place to learn Apollo 13, by Jeffrey Kluger and James Lovell, is a worthwhile read. “It 12 of 13 founding faculty; and work because of her teaches you about the strength of and initiated the planning leadership. “We have diffiteams and working together,” she and building of a 70,000cult and serious jobs, all of said. square-foot, state-of-the-art us — students, faculty, and engineering building, staff,” she said. “We should Holmes Hall, that will allow find ways to have a good the use of best practices in pedagogy for time while we’re doing them. As leaders in teaching engineering students. It will include engineering we spend a lot of time using studio classrooms for combining lectures, words like ‘grand challenge,’ ‘great opportudiscussions, problem solving, and hands-on nity,’ ‘most important.’ … It’s not good to activities. take oneself too seriously.” She is working toward ABET accreditation Industry versus academe for the three current undergraduate engineerDr. Claiborn pointed out that industry and ing programs in 2009 and establishing a masacademe operate quite differently. “The difter’s-level graduate program. ference between academe and industry is facDr. Keller-McNulty said, “I would like to ulty governance,” she said. “The faculty think I have helped my school gain a stronger determine the curriculum, what they want to work on, and a lot about what goes on at the university, as opposed to industry where it is more top down; so in academe you have to find other ways to get people on board with what you are trying to do. “It requires lots of communication, feedback, selling. You can’t move as quickly as you can in industry, but it’s great when you have a success. This can be the best and worst part of being a dean; if you don’t have people on board with you, you can’t get anything done.” Currently, Dr. Claiborn is working on a capital campaign to raise money for new buildings at WSU and setting priorities for new programs. The theme for future growth is “advanced technologies for a sustainable future: sustainable design, renewable energy, clean power, engineering for human health, and intelligent networks.” Addressing the rationale for these themes, she said, “All of 52 SWE FALL 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Fall 2008

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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