From Excellence to Impact McKelvey School of Engineering Washington University in St. Louis
Strategic Plan | 2023
To Our Extended McKelvey Community:
Aaron F. Bobick Dean& James M. McKelvey Professor
I am excited to share an updated vision for the McKelvey School of Engineering. This vision and its supporting priorities and initiatives will accelerate the progress we’ve made in the past six years, while sharpening our focus on the impact we make on our students, employees, the St. Louis region, and society at large. In 2016-17, the then-named School of Engineering & Applied Science undertook a strategic planning exercise that resulted in the Leadership through Excellence plan. That plan was at least as much tactical as it was strategic. Through a broad community engagement, we identified a series of steps we needed to take to aspire toward inclusive excellence in both education and research. These included structural changes, such as establishing an office of Graduate Student Services to support our anticipated growth in graduate education; research investment, including growing the Division of Computational & Data Science PhD programs; educational initiatives, including elevating our teaching faculty; and cultural shifts, such as focusing on staff development, providing staff a greater voice in school leadership, and ensuring a more inclusive and equitable environment for our entire community. The goal was to establish a uniformly strong foundation upon which we could build ever stronger programs and launch new initiatives. The resulting growth that stemmed from the Leadership through Excellence plan has been truly inspiring: providing stronger advising and scaffolding to all our undergraduate students, including the 28% Pelleligible and 20% first-generation students; new undergraduate programs, including partnerships with the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Arts & Sciences, and the Olin Business School; expanding our PhD student numbers from 380 to over 550; and increasing our tenure-track faculty count by 25% but growing our research awards from $25 million in 2015 to $57 million in FY 2023. Our faculty and students are simply achieving more. And, because of the vision and trust of Jim and Anna McKelvey, we now have a new name. In 2023, the McKelvey School of Engineering finds itself operating from a position of much greater strength than in 2016 but also in a different context. First, the world itself has changed. The new challenges range from the scientific and technological — e.g., climate change impact is no longer a hypothetical, and artificial intelligence (AI) is integrated in numerous aspects of our society — to the social and cultural, including polarized politics and growing social-economic-racial divides. Second, our St. Louis region has evolved emerging new industrial sectors, including geospatial, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing.
“In 2023, the McKelvey School of Engineering finds itself operating from a position of much greater strength than in 2016 but also in a different context. First, the world itself has changed. The new challenges range from the scientific and technological ... to the social and cultural.” – Dean Bobick
And finally, and perhaps most significantly for McKelvey Engineering, Washington University has adopted a strongly targeted strategic plan, Here and Next, that identifies aspirational and investment priorities for the entire university. This new context, along with the strongly established foundation within the school, calls for the next iteration of strategic planning. While we certainly maintain the focus on excellence, the new driver of our aspirations is impact for the betterment of society, and thus the title From Excellence to Impact. With our eyes on 2030, the plan is intended to be strongly situated to leverage our existing strengths in seeking impact opportunities defined by our context and designed for our people. Our plan to achieve McKelvey’s vision includes investing in research initiatives in key areas of strength that have the greatest potential for significant impact and that improve the human condition, augmenting our approach to engineering education to broaden opportunities for equitable experiential learning, finding new collaborations to advance the St. Louis economy, and creating more aspirational and inclusive career pathways and experiences for all our employees. I want to reinforce that From Excellence to Impact does not replace our earlier plan of Leadership Through Excellence. The goals and objectives of that original plan remain in force with continued investment. For example, we will continue to develop our faculty mentoring processes and grow our Women & Engineering Center — both ongoing efforts launched in response to that earlier plan. The plan presented here is our next step that builds upon our strengths and is designed to maintain our momentum. As you read the plan, I welcome any comments you have. While the plan establishes priorities and guides large-scale decisions, it is a living document. Our world continues to evolve, and McKelvey Engineering must be nimble and opportunistic when appropriate. Your input will help shape our path forward. Before launching into the plan itself, I would be remiss if I did not explicitly thank the myriad contributors. On the McKelvey strategic plan website, engineering.wustl.edu/strategicplan, you will find the names of those who served on the steering committee and participated in the various working groups that established the framework for the plan. And all of us owe a debt of gratitude to Professor Chao Zhou, Professor Kathy Flores and Senior Associate Dean Nick Benassi, who led this effort from start to finish and shepherded this plan to completion. I am tremendously grateful for all their work.
Strategic Plan 1
Fundamental Commitments to Our People To “engineer” something is to design it skillfully and artfully for a particular purpose. This term implies intentionality, resourcefulness, adaptability, and careful focus. McKelvey is committed to thinking in this way about the experience of all members of our community. Our people are the driving force that makes our excellent research and education possible. In pursuit of our vision and the strategic priorities that follow, we will ensure that our students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and staff are enabled and empowered to do their best work and be their full selves.
2 McKelvey School of Engineering
As we look to the future, we will engineer McKelvey for: 1.
Our Students and Postdocs McKelvey’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and postdoctoral scholars each make unique and essential contributions to our academic community. We will build on our reputation as a distinctive engineering institution by providing a rich and stimulating education that prepares McKelvey students for success through our commitment to developing strengths, perspectives, and resilience. Our commitment to our students and postdocs extends beyond the classroom to include their co-curricular experiences, career preparation, sense of community and belonging, and overall success. We will extend these commitments through new educational initiatives related to experiential learning, integrating emerging skills and capabilities in curricula, and expanding our EDI initiatives. McKelvey students will feel supported through a thoughtfully and intentionally cultivated journey that prioritizes not just their credentials but their experience, growth, and development.
2.
Our Faculty Both the research and education missions of the School are fundamentally driven by our faculty. We are committed to providing an environment in which faculty can thrive as researchers, educators, and innovators and in which effective mentoring and career investment ensure equitable outcomes that maximize potential. We are committed to being able to recruit, promote and retain a body of tenure-track, teaching and research faculty that continues to grow in size, strength and reputation.
3.
Our Staff McKelvey is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive environment in which staff members are empowered to thrive and contribute toward our mission. We will honor this commitment through investments in resources for professional development, transparent paths to career advancement, and community building to support a sense of belonging. We seek to outline clear standards of work, develop accessible information pathways, and support the well-being of our people.
4.
Our University McKelvey commits to advancing the University’s priorities outlined in the University’s strategic plan, Here and Next, with particular emphasis on advancing top-tier research and scholarship, leading inter-school collaborations, resourcing technology transfer and entrepreneurship, advancing student success, and forging genuine partnerships in the region. We will empower the University’s success through engineering excellence and transformative solutions.
5.
Our St. Louis Innovation and Economic Community McKelvey is uniquely positioned to drive growth and economic development in the St. Louis region. The economic ecosystem is poised to expand dramatically in multiple innovative technology sectors. As a preeminent engineering school in the region, McKelvey will enhance our investment in entrepreneurial activities of our faculty and students. Additionally, we will connect our students and faculty to new-economy opportunities, encouraging them to contribute their skills and strengths to the local and regional workforce and contributing to positive change in our region. Strategic Plan 3
“The McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis is a leader in providing scientific insights and enabling technologies critical to solving fundamental research challenges of the world today and in preparing students for the rapidly changing world of tomorrow.” — Dean Bobick
4 McKelvey School of Engineering
Strategic Plan 5
Mission The mission of the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis is to promote independent inquiry in engineering research and education with an emphasis on scientific excellence, equitable societal impact, and technological innovation — all fueled by seamless cross-disciplinary collaborations that span disciplines. McKelvey Engineers produce new knowledge that changes the world, and our faculty are educating students to explore, create, and design solutions to challenges in an ever-diversifying world we cannot yet imagine. Through research and education, we are contributing toward positive systematic change in the local community, the country, and the world.
6 McKelvey School of Engineering
Vision The strategic planning process has given McKelvey a chance to hone our bold, ambitious vision for our future. We will build on our strengths in research and innovation, augment our approach to education to meet the evolving needs of our students and prepare them to be the best version of themselves, expand the impact our school has on our people and society, and enhance our culture of inclusion and equity. We believe in the promise our vision represents for our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners.
Expanding upon the progress we made from the McKelvey 2018 Strategic Plan, Leadership Through Excellence, we envision a future McKelvey that: I. Serves as a national and global leader in innovative engineering research and education that contributes to positive systematic change and is recognized for this leadership, II. Creates meaningful and impactful connections to the innovation and economic communities in the greater St. Louis area and beyond, III. Propels Washington University in St. Louis forward in support of the Here and Next strategic plan through transformative research, innovation and entrepreneurship, and equitable access to education for our emerging leaders and scholars, and IV. Fosters an equitable, inclusive, diverse, and desirable place to work and to learn.
The strategic priorities and supporting initiatives outlined in this plan will drive us toward a 2030 McKelvey Engineering that realizes our vision.
Strategic Plan 7
Strategic Priorities McKelvey has identified four strategic priorities that will help us achieve our vision for the School, our community members, and the St. Louis community over the next seven years. The strategic priorities will provide a framework for decision-making, help us shape our annual goals, and serve as clear guideposts for our research, education, and operational missions. We will invest in nine strategic initiatives, selected for their capacity to effectively realize these four strategic priorities.
8 McKelvey School of Engineering
Strategic Priorities 1.
Generate scholarship that transcends engineering disciplines We will strengthen our pursuit of and investment in research collaborations with internal University and external industry partners to develop solutions for existing and emerging societal challenges. The School’s strengths in environmental solutions, imaging science, biological and biomedical science and intervention, fundamental and translational AI, cyberphysical systems, mechanical, thermal and materials science, and applied physics position McKelvey to be a trusted, innovative collaborator within the University and with industry, governmental, and nonprofit organizations.
2.
Engage students with experiential and industry-based learning activities To ensure that our graduates remain competitive in the workforce and our programs remain on the cutting edge of engineering education, McKelvey will augment its curricula to include experiences in the classroom, in the lab, and in the field. As part of this strategic priority, McKelvey commits to ensuring that experiential learning is accessible to all our students, regardless of background or financial means, so that there are equitable, meaningful opportunities for our students to take their learning outside the classroom. This means we will commit resources that enable our students to participate in learning experiences that meet their needs and interests and equip them with aptitudes needed for industry and scholarship.
3.
Drive innovation, industrial impact, and entrepreneurship We will position McKelvey as a source of innovation and an entrepreneurial engine through three main mechanisms: i. Facilitating the launch of new companies by faculty, students, and alumni; ii. Conducting joint research with internal and external partners that align research with commercial needs that result in the licensing of new technologies; and iii. Developing our students through participation in research and entrepreneurship.
These efforts are important now so that we can impact industry, drive economic growth in the St. Louis ecosystem, foster innovation, create job opportunities that retain alumni in the St. Louis area, and support the core commitments to the St. Louis community outlined in Here and Next. Through technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and joint research collaborations with local entities and companies, McKelvey will expand its own capacity for innovation and expand its footprint in the St. Louis region.
4.
Cultivate healthy and inclusive environments for our staff We will strengthen our culture to be more inclusive and to foster individual career advancement for all McKelvey staff. We will commit ourselves to a continuous process of “engineering McKelvey for our people” through increasingly inclusive operating norms, equitable processes, innovative practices that promote community, and professional development opportunities.
Strategic Plan 9
Signature Initiatives The strategic priorities represent McKelvey’s broad areas of focus for the next seven years. To execute on these priorities, we have identified nine signature initiatives. These initiatives define key areas of activity and investment that will help us actualize our ambitious vision for the future.
10 McKelvey School of Engineering
1. Environmental and climate solutions research 2. Research at the intersection of engineering and medicine 3. Bioeconomy, bio- and advanced manufacturing research and innovation 4. Engineering AI research 5. AI integration in teaching and learning 6. Accessible experiential learning 7. Industry impact and entrepreneurship 8. EDI Action Plan 9. Invest in our staff
Strategic Plan 11
1. Environmental and climate solutions research McKelvey’s researchers advance engineering solutions related to environmental challenges, climate change mitigation, and climate adaptation. We are particularly motivated by the knowledge that frontline communities, many of which are in St. Louis, are overburdened by these environmental hazards. We will further our impact on developing climate solutions by leading robust, impactful research endeavors. In alignment with the University’s Here and Next strategic goal related to environmental research, and motivated by the urgency of environmental crises, we will build on our current and historical strengths in carbon management, aerosols science and engineering, water management, clean energy technologies, sensing capabilities, thermal management, and geospatial science. We will collaborate with other environmental scholars across WashU, including in Arts & Sciences and in the new School of Public Health. This initiative will strengthen our current position as a distinctive hub of contemporary environmental engineering.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Coalesce our work to mitigate carbon-emitting energy systems around a Center for Carbon Management.
» As evidenced by the Grand Challenges of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) as well as the now immediately visible implications of climate change, work on solutions to some of our biggest environmental challenges will be paramount for the next several decades.
» Maximize the impact of existing centers, including the Center for Aerosol Science and Engineering and the Center for Water Innovation, by connecting them with both largescale funding opportunities and relevant industrial sectors. » Reinforce cross-departmental and cross-discipline investments in clean energy harvesting and storage. » Leverage the Center for the Environment structure to actively pursue new transdisciplinary research efforts with climate and other environmental scholars across WashU.
» The announcement of WashU’s School of Public Health and the investment in the universitywide Center for the Environment present catalyzing opportunities for McKelvey to advance our existing strengths in related areas. » There are opportunities for us to further enhance our competitive differentiation from other schools of engineering via investment in research domains like aerosols, water management, carbon management, and sensing technologies, while extending these strengths into natural adjacencies. » Sponsored research funding opportunities in environmental engineering continue to increase across numerous federal agencies and non-federal sources, creating an imperative for us to scale our efforts in this field.
12 McKelvey School of Engineering
2. Research at the intersection of engineering and medicine McKelvey will continue to design engineering interventions to address disease and human health challenges, create new capabilities to observe and study medical phenomena, and apply engineering principles and technologies to further understand underlying biological processes. Our research and innovation in these areas will support the University’s strategic goal related to medical research, addressing some of the most significant challenges facing health care, including persistent disparities among racial/ethnic minority groups and underserved populations. We will leverage our current strengths in imaging science, biomechanics, biomolecular and cellular engineering, neural engineering, women’s health and wearable sensor technologies in collaboration with the School of Medicine and the new School of Public Health to create new technologies and support critical discoveries.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Launch a new Institute for Imaging Innovation to solidify our national lead in biomedical imaging and expand capabilities into other emerging areas, including geospatial research.
» WashU’s strength as a world-renowned basic and clinical biomedical research hub creates an opportunity and imperative for McKelvey to extend our collaborations with researchers in these fields.
» Grow the Center for Women’s Health Engineering, Center for Biomolecular Condensates (CBC) and the Artificial Intelligence for Health (AIH) Institute.
» As the University invests in a new School of Public Health, McKelvey can collaborate with scholars on research and innovation that may lead to improved patient outcomes and medical discoveries in our communities.
» Expand research and technology development at the intersection of materials, mechanics, and medicine.
Strategic Plan 13
14 McKelvey School of Engineering
3. Bioeconomy, bio- and advanced manufacturing research and innovation McKelvey will leverage our strengths in synthetic biology, bioengineering, carbon management, advanced materials, and AI research to build a world-class thrust in biomanufacturing and the bioeconomy. We will invest in faculty hires and research infrastructure to advance major federal and industrial priorities and translate technologies that impact the future bioeconomy and its workforce. Our existing strengths in CO2 utilization, synthetic biology and bio-renewable materials, and biotechnology for waste treatment and resource recovery will allow us to synergize with Here and Next initiatives in environmental research and climate solutions, medical research, and digital transformation. The initiative will empower crossdiscipline collaborations across the campus to achieve broad impact and technology translation.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Support a steady growth of faculty in synthetic biology and biomanufacturing.
» Biomanufacturing to advance the bioeconomy and as a solution for decarbonization is a national priority that requires cross-discipline collaboration and is a target of significant federal funding.
» Connect advanced materials research with St. Louis region advanced manufacturing initiatives. » Build research infrastructure that focuses on the challenges of scaling biomanufacturing, in connection to CO2 utilization and bio-renewable materials manufacturing, to advance the development of commercially viable and transformative technologies.
» There is existing strength in the research cluster in synthetic biology at WashU, and there is great potential for bringing biopharmaceutical and biotechnology research to the St. Louis region.
» Coordinate the efforts of centers such as the existing Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center and the soon-to-be-launched Center for Carbon Management to develop specific technologies relevant to bioeconomy.
Strategic Plan 15
4. Engineering AI research McKelvey will further invest in both AI research and the application of AI in research. This initiative will involve identifying and better integrating existing research initiatives at McKelvey in AI, including explicitly investigating methods of ensuring the fair and equitable application of AI in social and economic domains, advancing AI-related topics in optimization and manufacturing, and developing innovative best practices for utilizing AI to support engineering research activities. Efforts related to this initiative will position McKelvey as experts in implementing AI to solve domain-specific problems. We will advance the University’s strategic goal related to “digital transformation” by partnering across the campus in leveraging AI as a means — rather than an end — to support research growth.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Enhance our imaging science program to maximize the potential of AI in image generation, processing, and analysis and expand capabilities in emerging areas, including geospatial research.
» McKelvey has considerable strengths in AI and computational modeling, including machine learning and trustworthy AI, human-computer interaction, data-driven research, and imaging science.
» Develop facilities to enable testing hardware/software hybrid systems developed by the Center for Trustworthy AI in Cyberphysical Systems.
» The existing DCDS program has demonstrated strength in the development of AI methods in support of the social sciences.
» Partner with Arts & Sciences, the Brown School and the Law School to advance new AI-related topics such as trustworthy AI, human-AI interaction, AI for scientific discovery, and the ethical and fair applications of AI in social contexts.
» Much of the research — from developing new materials to designing new control principles — will be fundamentally altered by the application of AI methodologies. For McKelvey to remain at the leading edge of research in these domains, we must not only embrace AI in research but also develop new means of harnessing its power.
» Work with the Sam Fox School of Art & Design to explore the role of AI in design. » Further our research activities related to AI, such as our work in the AI for Health Institute.
16 McKelvey School of Engineering
5. AI integration in teaching and learning McKelvey will deliberately integrate AI into our pedagogy and curricula. As part of this initiative, we will equip our faculty and students with AI competencies and abilities to leverage AI in various applications through new training opportunities and course content. We will train and advise our faculty on how to leverage AI as a pedagogical instrument. Concurrently, we will embed AI and AI-related topics into our curricula so that we can prepare our students to be scholars and engineers who effectively and creatively utilize AI in their work.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Integrate AI into our core engineering curriculum at the undergraduate level.
» There is a gap between our curricula and the rapid developments in AI and data analytics. We must close this gap so that graduates are prepared to encounter transformative technologies now and in the future.
» Introduce new courses and/or course content related to AI at all levels. » Host faculty training in recognition of the fundamental role that AI will play in the future practice of all engineering disciplines. » Train and engage faculty to develop best practices for utilizing AI as a pedagogical tool. » Collaborate with schools across the Danforth Campus to explore new transdisciplinary educational programs (e.g., a master’s program in the Ethics of AI, programs in AI & Design).
» The future of work will increasingly rely on familiarity with AI, particularly across engineering professions and fields. » To remain competitive in engineering education and research, we must be leaders in leveraging AI in a variety of domains and applications. Therefore, we need to ensure that our faculty are at the cutting edge of teaching and research by training them to creatively utilize AI in their work and pedagogy. » There is a gap in the marketplace for AI Ethics curricula and baseline education for engineers, and we have an opportunity to lead in this space.
Strategic Plan 17
18 McKelvey School of Engineering
6. Accessible experiential learning McKelvey will augment our curricula to ensure that all our undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to participate in experiential or application-based learning. We know that experiential learning can equip students with vital skills and aptitudes, like design thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork, that they will need to be successful as future engineers and scholars. Additionally, experiential learning can allow students to connect their values and desire to make a difference with their academic experiences. Therefore, as a school, we will expand our approach to education by developing a road map of experiential learning opportunities that students can customize, integrating this road map into our existing program structures, and committing to making at least one experiential learning opportunity accessible to all undergraduate students regardless of their background or economic resources. We will ensure that experiential-learning opportunities, such as research, internships, co-ops, service-learning, and/or application-based projects, are accessible for all students. We will challenge our students, faculty, and staff to embrace the fact that learning happens in the classroom, the lab, the field, and the workforce. By offering various research, service learning, internships, co-ops, and growth experiences, McKelvey can offer a more holistic education for all our students.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Design experiential learning road maps and identify experiential learning opportunities for each of our degree programs.
» There is a well-established body of research that shows the benefits of experiential learning. To ensure that our students are well prepared for their future work or scholarship, we must expose our students to learning experiences outside the classroom.
» Ensure that our credit-for-experience policies align with encouraging the pursuit of experiential learning opportunities. » Expand internship programs with selected industry partners. » Develop engineering service-learning programs. » Provide structures for students to reflect on the academic and personal growth engendered by their experiential learning opportunities. » Develop a process to ensure that undergraduate students do not face financial or other obstacles to participate in experiential learning opportunities.
» To remain competitive with top-tier engineering programs, we must continue to provide valuable, welldesigned educational experiences that take place in a variety of settings. » Employers seek engineers who have varied and comprehensive skills and capabilities, including collaboration, business acumen, research, and problem solving. Experiential learning will allow our students to further develop these critical skills and become leaders in their fields.
Strategic Plan 19
7. Industry impact and entrepreneurship We will expand McKelvey’s capacity for industrial impact and entrepreneurship by dedicating resources to our industry and community partnership strategy. Our partnership strategy will focus on increasing industrially and societally impactful research, as well as increasing opportunities for students’ development. We will cultivate partnerships with companies, government, and local organizations such as the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center of St. Louis, Cortex, and/or BioSTL, and national entities such as the National Geospatial Agency. By expanding our partnerships, we will expose our faculty and students to industry and advance the University’s strategic commitment to innovative economic and social development.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Expand the Office of Industry Relations, with additional emphasis on developing new industry partnerships and scaling existing collaborations.
» We will enable our faculty, postdocs, and students to develop technologies and solutions that have a broad impact on society. To do this, we need to develop infrastructure and support systems that facilitate commercialization and entrepreneurial activities.
» Identify common barriers to faculty innovation and entrepreneurship and expand incentives and infrastructure to help overcome those barriers. » Foster a culture of entrepreneurship and industry focus by developing programs and structures to encourage and track entrepreneurial and partnership activities (e.g., develop an approach for bringing McKelvey faculty expertise to partners and sourcing their extramural research needs, such as online portal forums or an industry advisory board). » Partnering with startups, corporations, government agencies, and other organizations on commercialization and student career development initiatives.
20 McKelvey School of Engineering
» Creating a comprehensive partnership strategy will support a shift in McKelvey’s culture and further develop the St. Louis region’s investment in research and industrial base. » Strengthening our partnerships with local and national companies and organizations will allow McKelvey to facilitate career-focused experiential learning opportunities for our students.
Strategic Plan 21
8. EDI Action Plan We will enact the inaugural McKelvey Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan (“EDI Action Plan”), which includes meaningful investments in our community, support systems, and structures. The EDI Action Plan will advance equity, diversity, and inclusion for the entire McKelvey community. It recommends both general activities and targeted investments in specific parts of our community where we seek to — and believe we can — move the EDI needle. We developed this plan to enhance our culture and make deliberate changes to systems and structures within our School so that our students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and faculty are empowered to be their best and fullest selves and so that McKelvey is an environment where students want to learn and professionals want to work. The full EDI Action Plan is available for the McKelvey and WashU communities.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Develop infrastructure and dedicate resources to drive and sustain data-driven decision-making, investment, and assessment to actively shape a more inclusive and equitable culture and climate.
» Diverse scholarly communities and teams ask different questions that target a broader array of problems requiring innovative solutions. Diverse teams produce greater innovation, enhanced learning, and better research outcomes.
» Hire and/or allocate staff dedicated to enacting and advancing McKelvey’s EDI goals. » Develop practices and policies that reduce disparities in academic performance and increase equity in student success.
» To increase racial diversity in engineering, we must have diverse representation in our faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and students. Interacting with faculty, lab mentors, and engineers who reflect our students can promote student success, encourage student engagement, and improve a sense of belonging. » We need to reduce barriers to student engagement and success by providing more equitable support structures that meet our students’ diverse needs.
22 McKelvey School of Engineering
9. Invest in our staff McKelvey’s employees are the source of the School’s success. Investments in our research and education missions directly impacts our faculty. To ensure a focus on all our employees, we must also strategically invest in our staff so that they can perform their work at the highest level. These investments will include redesigning our onboarding process to promote a sense of belonging and shared understanding for new employees, developing training programs for staff to bolster their professional skill sets, reevaluating employee policies to ensure that they are equitable and facilitating community-building forums. People are at the core of the University’s Here and Next strategic plan, as is supporting and developing employees. We will take deliberate actions to ensure that McKelvey employees feel supported and connected to the School and to one another.
Our Commitments We will:
Why:
» Charge the McKelvey Staff Council with the task of reevaluating employee-related policies to ensure that they are equitable and clear, with input from relevant employees impacted by policy changes.
» In a post-pandemic, post-Great Resignation environment, employees at McKelvey and nationwide desire a supportive, healthy, and flexible work environment. To meet the needs of our employees, we must thoughtfully invest in staff policies and support and in workplace infrastructure.
» Invest deliberately in the onboarding, learning and development, and career progression of McKelvey employees. » Build upon the EDI Action Plan to ensure that we are cultivating an equitable and inclusive working environment.
» The fundamental commitments that underpin this entire strategic plan focus in large part on our people. To honor those commitments, we will take deliberate steps to enhance our School’s work culture, especially as it impacts our staff.
» Promote community building opportunities designed for hybrid work environments through in-person and virtual gatherings or forums that promote collaboration and idea sharing. » Create opportunities for employees to engage with one another in creative and collaborative ways beyond their day-to-day responsibilities. » Revamp our physical spaces to enable collaborative work.
Strategic Plan 23
Measuring Success The success of this strategic plan will be measured by its impact on our people, on the fields outlined in the plan, on the recognition of the School, and on the University. McKelvey has identified a set of metrics to track the progress of our priorities and initiatives. McKelvey may consider additional metrics to evaluate and illustrate success as our initiatives progress. As we work to realize the commitments set forth in this plan, we will track and report on our progress in the following areas: » National and International Recognition — students, faculty, staff, and our programs recognized by awards, fellowships, etc., at the national and international levels. » Research Productivity — grant applications and awards, especially of large-scale grants; conferences and citations; and patents and licensed technologies. » Staff and Faculty Engagement in Developing an Inclusive Culture — program/training participation and attendance, employee satisfaction and retention rates. » Equitable Student Success and Outcomes — undergraduate students engaged in research, internships, and/or service learning; graduate student experiential learning; alumni recognized by prestigious awards and taking leadership roles in major organizations, etc. » Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion — percent of faculty who identify as underrepresented; climate assessment results; mentorship participation; faculty and staff promotions; faculty and staff retention, etc. » Economic Development in St. Louis — new startups emerging from McKelvey and located in St. Louis, new partnerships with area companies and organizations, increase in jobs in the engineering industry, alumni living and working in the area, etc. » Graduate Student Recruitment — growth in graduate student inquiry pool, strength of graduate student applicant pool, increased graduate student yield rates, etc.
24 McKelvey School of Engineering
Resourcing the Plan The success of our plan will require commitment in the form of appropriate resourcing. In the coming years, the strategic plan will guide McKelvey’s decisions about how and where we invest time, money, and energy. We will continue to revisit and revise our resourcing priorities annually. Resource allocation will be based on prioritized signature initiative commitments, implementation readiness of those commitments and their potential impact on McKelvey’s strategic priorities. We will continue to announce new initiatives and investments related to this strategic plan as appropriate resources are identified.
Strategic Plan 25
Scan the QR for more information: