From Provost Arden and VC Maimone: Engineering Expansion Update Memo

MEMORANDUM

TO: University Council, Senior Vice Provosts, Vice Provosts, Department Heads, Associate Deans for Academic Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellors, Center and Institute Directors

FROM: Warwick A. Arden, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, and Charles A. Maimone, Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration

SUBJECT: Engineering Expansion Update

DATE: December 3, 2021

Economic developments announced earlier this year by Apple, Google, FUJIFILM Diosynth and other technology companies on their moves to the RTP are increasing the demand for undergraduate and graduate education in engineering and computer science. With over 10,000 students currently enrolled in the College of Engineering, NC State has a proven ability to graduate students within the talent pipeline that these companies are looking for. Growing the number of undergraduate and graduate students from NC State’s College of Engineering (COE) is the right response at the right time for the State of North Carolina. Done well, this growth can fulfill multiple strategic goals of Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary. Funds for the expansion, called Engineering North Carolina’s Future, were included in the recently passed North Carolina state budget.

Engineering Expansion Working Group

In late September, we charged the Engineering Expansion Working Group:

• Margery Overton, Senior Vice Provost for Institutional Strategy and Analysis and chair of the working group
• Adrian Day, Assistant Vice Provost for Finance and Planning 
• Ursula Hairston, Assistant Vice Chancellor for HR Strategy 
• Don Hunt, Senior Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Services
• Alicia Knight, Associate Vice Chancellor for Real Estate and Development 
• Doug Morton, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities 
• Barbara Moses, Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget and Resource Management

Engineering Expansion Working Group Charge

Meeting the projected workforce demand may require a 40% increase in the number of students in the COE. All of the campus will be affected and it is essential we plan well and consider all impacts. The working group, which meets regularly, was charged to review proposed growth scenarios, impacts, mitigation strategies and create overall recommendations for implementation, including a list of action items to prepare for a fall 2022 increase in COE enrollment, and engage various stakeholders on an ad hoc basis that will include representatives from the Colleges of Engineering, Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences as well as other potential affected units across campus. 

Engineering Expansion – Fall 2022

The Engineering Expansion Working Group has recommended that for the fall 2022 semester the university prepares for a COE undergraduate enrollment increase of 150 full-time first-time freshmen students and 50 transfer students. As this is the first phase of the expansion, smaller numbers will aid us in assessing the impact on the university and its resources, and find solutions to the challenges we encounter along the way. Over the next four to six years, the total number of additional new undergraduate and graduate students to the College of Engineering will increase to reach a target of 4,000. 

As the group continues their work, we will provide updates on progress and decisions made based on thorough research and thoughtful conversations with campus stakeholders. If you have any questions, please contact Margery Overton at overton@ncsu.edu.

Link to pdf version of memo