Union College Civil Engineering Advisory Council

to: Union College Board of Trustees, Faculty, Alumni and Freinds

from: Civil Engineering Advisory Counil

date: October 1, 2001

cc: President Hull, Dean Sorum, and Dean Balmer

On September 29, 2001 the Civil Engineering Advisory Council (CEAC) met to discuss the Administration's recommendation to eliminate the Civil Engineering Program and to review the findings of the Resource Allocation Sub-Council (RASC) formed to study the issue. The CEAC reached the following findings:

• The Administration employed a flawed and suspect process in developing and defending its recommendation to eliminate Civil Engineering. The process lacks strict adherence to established academic procedures, and public explanations of the decision have changed frequently. The Administration excluded key stakeholders in the Union Community during the critical, formative stages of the process.
• The RASC report found that less than one half of one percent of the total college budget must be reallocated to provide sustainable excellent engineering programs in all current Division IV departments. RASC demonstrated several acceptable ways to reallocate resources and still meet the needs of all existing programs.
• Peer institutions will perceive the College as uncaring about a respected strong program with a 156 year-old rich heritage should Civil Engineering be eliminated. Numerous academics throughout the nation are already aware of the impending decision, and believe the process, and the action, will scar Union's national reputation.
• Since clear benefits to the Union community have not been articulated, the elimination of Civil Engineering will alienate alumni, faculty, friends and students. This will result in a significant decrease in alumni monetary support and less alumni involvement in recruiting new students. The elimination of Civil Engineering will not only affect engineering alumni, but their legacies as well.
• There is a strong demand for civil engineers to help build, maintain and rebuild our nation's infrastructure. This need has become even more evident by the way our world has changed since the attacks on September 11th. More than ever our nation needs engineers who understand the social, cultural, political and economic environments in which we all live. Union's liberal arts framework has been producing well-rounded, successful professional engineers for more than 150 years. This is a unique, understated and unadvertised strength of the College. It is time to build on our strengths, not eliminate them.

The CEAC concluded that the following benefits would accrue to the Union Community if Civil Engineering were retained:

• The Converging Technologies in a Changing World initiative will raise more money faster, if initiatives like the Civil Engineering project management proposal are implemented. This initiative, drawing on the use of existing resources throughout the College, is ready to implement. Corporations have already demonstrated strong interest in supporting efforts to improve academic programs in project management.
• The CEAC, without any support from the College, raised $833,000 in pledges if Civil Engineering is retained. Pledges were received from 157 alumni, of which 22 percent were not civil engineering alumni. In addition, the Male Family is committed to redirecting almost $1 million in endowed funds to Civil Engineering. This grass roots effort strongly suggests two things; substantially more money can be raised with the College's support, and that retaining Civil Engineering will not drain resources from other Divisions or programs.
  • Civil Engineering faculty and alumni will contribute to the reallocation of resources and will tap new funding sources, so in the long term Civil Engineering will probably contribute resources to the College. It is time to declare peace and move forward together to create a stronger Union by finding ways to strengthen Union's endowment.

The CEAC unanimously reached the following recommendation:

• The Board of Trustees should direct the Administration to form a committee composed of members of the faculty and Administration to implement one or some variation of the five alternative options to eliminating Civil Engineering developed by RASC. The committee should complete its work in time to be implemented in this year's budgeting cycle. Ideally, the committee would be allowed to consider the entire College budget in developing a plan that best meets the mission of Union to be a leading liberal arts and engineering college.

CEAC Members:

Civil Engineering Department Historical Homepage