Operating Structure for the Industry Advisory Board (IAB)for Western Michigan University (WMU) College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS)

The leadership of the CEAS IAB will consist of a Past Chair, a Chair, and a Vice-Chair. These positions will be held by Industry Advisory Board (IAB) members from industry. Each leadership position is a two-year term, with a turnover date after the Annual Meeting in years where the two-year term is completed.

At the beginning of the new two-year term cycle, the current Vice-Chair assumes the office of Chair. The current Chair assumes the office of Past Chair. The Past Chair may decide to remain as a member of the IAB, or retire from participating in the WMU CEAS IAB. The IAB will appoint or elect a new Vice-Chair as part of this officer rotation. Volunteers for the office of Vice-Chair will be sought from among the active members of the IAB. Election of a Vice-Chair can be completed by e-mail polling.

The initial two-year term cycle begins immediately, with the next transition of officers at the Annual Meeting in 2019.

Officer Duties

Chair: Lead the Annual Meeting discussions. Work with the WMU CEAS Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education to build agendas for the Annual Meeting. Communicate with and encourage subcommittees to do work. Communicate with Vice Chair on a regular basis to keep topics moving forward. Participate in some of the periodic subcommittee meetings with the CEAS Dean throughout the year. Meet with the CEAS Dean at least once per year other than at the Annual Meeting to discuss important matters related to CEAS.

Vice-Chair: Assist Chair when requested. Assume Chair duties in the absence ofthe Chair. Lead one or more of the standing committees.

Past Chair: Participate in IAB meetings as a member. Offer advice and insights based on their previous experience with IAB participation.

WMU personnel will produce IAB meeting minutes. The CEAS Dean’s office will keep an archival file of minutes from past IAB meetings and events.

Standing Committees

Recommended standing committees have been created based on a review and grouping of Action Items from the May 19, 2017 IAB meeting. Additional committees may be created based on interests of the IAB members. WMU faculty will work on some of these (especially Academic Topics), and a report made back to the IAB members. At the beginning of the term of a new IAB Chair, the list of committees and their work assignments will be reviewed and updated, rearranged, or terminated as needed to support the work activities of the CEAS IAB.

Academic Topics

  1. Student retention and success.
  2. Adapt the STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) to work better with transfer students, and develop a “home” for students in new partnership with Aquinas College.
  3. Develop mechanism or means for more industry presentations or participation in courses.
  4. A new CEAS Co-op office, funded by industry.
  5. Review Bachelor of Science (BS) degree programs to see if degree specific co-op or internship curriculum models can be developed.
  6. Additional industry based senior design projects.
  7. Identify niche and job market opportunities for potential Biomedical Engineering program.
  8. Consider changing name of Computer Engineering to “Systems Engineering.”
  9. Form a subcommittee to work in collaboration with the CEAS committee to formulate and review the curriculum for the potential BS in Biomedical Engineering degree program, with a program start date of Fall 2019.

Development and Advancement

Fund raising opportunities to assist CEAS have been prioritized by the CEAS Executive Committee:

  1. Endowed Professorships, CEAS has none at this time.
  2. Building expansion for dedicated student project space.
  3. Endowment or scholarship funds to support graduate student research and retention, as these funds are much more limited within CEAS than scholarships for undergraduate students.
  4. Endowments or scholarships for undergraduate students.

Student and Industry Interactions

  1. Develop mechanism or means for better Registered Student Organization (RSO) linkage with each departmental IAB.
  2. Develop mechanism or means for more small projects from industry as part of RSO events.
  3. Local professional societies (such as Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE) involve or invite more student participation.
  4. Assist in developing the CEAS Co-op office for students to interact with companies.

Faculty Research

Develop mechanism or means for increased industry participation in faculty research efforts.

Near Term Activity

Chair, Vice-Chair, and other interested IAB members: Need to work with the WMU CEAS Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education to update By-Laws, Mission and Vision etc., to reflect the IAB’s new structure once the structure is decided. A vote on whether or not to adopt a new set of By-Laws will occur at a future IAB meeting or by an e-mail polling.