Advisory Boards Overview
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
History
• First Boards established in 1980
• Currently 20 Advisory Boards
• 223 Members representing
– 116 companies, 25 academic institutions,
and 12 government and not-for-profit
agencies
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Advisory Boards
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Biology and Biotechnology
Biomedical Engineering
Center for Industrial
Mathematics and Statistics
(CIMS)
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Civil and Environmental
Engineering
Computer Science
Diversity Programs
Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Environmental Engineering
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Fire Protection Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Interactive Media and Game
Development (IMGD)
Management Collaborative for
Entrepreneurship and
Innovation
Management Executive Council
Mathematical Sciences
Mechanical Engineering
Robotics Engineering
System Dynamics
Women’s Programs
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Advisory Board Functions
• Advice
– Broad external environment
– Technology trends
– Research opportunities
– Curricular revision assistance
• Support
– Enhance visibility
– Enhance WPI’s network of associates
– Direct or indirect financial support
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Academics and Research at WPI:
an Introduction
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
5
WPI is…
Faculty
Students
Staff
Heritage
Alumni
Facilities
Mission
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
7/27/2016
6
The Faculty
• 277 Full-Time-Equivalent
• 210 Tenured or Tenure Track
Chairman’s Prize for
Exemplary Faculty
– 162 Tenured (including
administrators
– 48 Tenure Track
• 24 new Tenure Track faculty
since 2007
• Student-to-faculty ratio:
13:1
David Adams,
Biology
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Alex Emanuel,
ECE
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Faculty Governance
• “Shared Governance”
– Faculty Constitution
• Secretary of the Faculty (Helen
Vassallo)
• Chair of the Committee on Governance
(Jim Hanlan)
• Chairs of other standing Faculty
committees
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Admissions History
6000
5000
Applications
Admits
Confirms
4000
3700
3000
3773
2000
800
1000
957
0
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
2010
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Class of 2012
• 905 First year students - (29% Women; 71% Men)
• 18% Students of Color
– 12% Underrepresented Students of Color
• 12% International students
• 36 States and 45 Countries Represented
• 34% outside New England
• 1180-1380 SAT Range (Middle 50%)
– (1720-2030 with Writing)
• Avg GPA – 3.7
• Avg Rank in class – Top 14%
• 300 students with 4.0 GPA's
• 23 valedictorians; 26 salutatorians
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
10
IntendedIntended
Undergraduate
Majors 2007 Majors
Liberal Arts, 1%
Management, 2%
Undecided, 6%
Engineering, 41%
CS & IMGD,
14%
Math & Sciences,
19%
Engineering
Undecided, 17%
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Enrollment by Undergraduate Department, 1/30/08
700
Undergraduate Majors, 1/30/08
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Class
Populations:
2008: 695
2009: 647
2010: 750
2011: 796
Other: 18
Total: 2906
Class year:
Other
2011
2010
2009
2008
50
Undergraduate Majors, 1/30/08
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Class Year:
Other
2011
2010
2009
2008
The “WPI Plan” for Undergraduate
Education
• Flexible Curriculum, Student
Responsibility for Learning
• Four Term Academic Year Calendar
• Non-Punitive Grading Policy
• Project-Enriched Academic Plan
• Balance among Science/Technology
and Humanities/Social Sciences
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Tradition of Theory and Practice
• Commitment to undergraduate
education
– Student responsibility and experiential
learning
– Global perspective
– Relevant programs
• A small, focused research university
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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The “Plan” is Based on WPI’s
Undergraduate Goals
• The goals of the undergraduate program are to lead
students to develop an excellent grasp of
fundamental concepts in their principal areas of
study; to lay a foundation for life-long renewal of
knowledge; to gain a mature understanding of
themselves; and, most importantly, to form a deep
appreciation of the interrelationships among basic
knowledge, technological advance, and human need.
These principles are today manifest in the WPI Plan,
a unique, project-oriented program which
emphasizes intensive learning experiences and direct
application of knowledge. WPI remains committed to
continued educational improvement and innovation.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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WPI’s Project Emphasis
• Major Qualifying Project
– 9 credits, Capstone project in the student’s major
• Interactive Qualifying Project
– 9 credits, Relates science or technology to society,
generally in junior year
• Humanities, several ways to accomplish:
– Concluding seminar with a substantial paper
– Musical or theatrical performance
– Language proficiency
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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New Undergraduate Programs
• Environmental Engineering
• Interactive Media and Game
Development (IMGD)
• Robotics Engineering
• Environmental Studies
• Aerospace Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
19
Top employers of WPI alumni
U.S. Government
Saint-Gobain
Hewlett-Packard
General Dynamics
National Grid
10/02
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
20
Graduate Studies
• Extensive Masters, PhD, and certificate
programs
• Multiple modes
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Full-time and Part-time
Day and evening
Semester and “executive” schedules
Classroom and Distance Learning
delivery
• Approximately 300 Masters and
20 PhD degrees annually
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Goals for Graduate and
Research Programs
• Major initiative in the Life Sciences and
continued success and growth in areas that are
currently strong
• Substantial growth in external research support
• Growth in numbers of students
• Growth in the number of financially supported
students
• Growth in graduate student quality
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Research Funding
• Individual scholarship is an expectation
as part of the faculty appointment
• External funding provides support for
graduate students, equipment, supplies,
travel, and faculty time
• In many disciplines, external support is
practically essential for significant
research accomplishments
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Extramural Support from Sponsored
Research FY02 – FY08
Awards through Office of Research Administration (ORA) – Includes Federal agencies,
industry contracts, some foundations.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Academic Facilities
• Gateway Park
• Goddard renovations
– Biochemistry and life science teaching labs (Alden Foundation)
• Salisbury re-purposing
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Humanities/Arts faculty consolidated
3 new classrooms (30 – 50 seats)
10 new faculty offices
Additional space to be renovated
Six new CS offices in Fuller Labs
New IMGD, expanded Robotics labs
New Geotechnical Lab in Kaven
Space Planning Committee
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
25
Corporate and Professional Education
Professional Education
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Non-credit professional
workshops and certificate
programs
Public Sessions and Corporate
On-site
Topics Include: Project Mgmt.;
Process Improvement; Lean;
Leadership & Mgmt.
Development; Geometric
Dimensioning & Tolerancing
Application Consulting & Data
Clinics
FE Review
Corporate Education
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Predominantly credit-based
graduate certificate programs
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Targeting the corporate buyer
looking to leverage the tuition
reimbursement benefit
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Ability to deliver programs with
academic rigor in flexible
formats
Educational Solutions
Corporate and Professional Education
A Portfolio of Solutions
Executive
Forums
Undergraduate
Certificate
Programs
Industryspecific
Workshops
Public
Programs
Corporate &
Professional
Education
Academic/
Industry
Partnerships
Custom
Programs
Graduate
Certificate
Programs
Graduate
Degree
Programs
Corporate and Professional Education