On August 3rd and 4th, nearly all of Florida’s engineering schools joined the first Florida Engineering Dean’s Summit (FEDS), envisioned as an annual event where academic leaders can explore solutions for shared problems and develop joint initiatives.
Pratim Biswas, dean of the University of Miami College of Engineering, championed collaboration among fellow leaders in engineering education. “The College of Engineering has identified a set of strategic initiatives, and we are now focusing on accomplishing preeminence in clean energy, aerosol science and nanoparticle technology, health engineering, advanced autonomous mobility, and innovations in education. While we hope to play a leading role in these initiatives, we can elevate our impact by creating regional partnerships with our colleagues at various Florida universities. I enjoyed connecting with my fellow deans to begin to set up these collaborations.”
The group conducted roundtable discussions around college leadership structure, support for large-scale public-private partnerships, undergraduate student success, faculty development, workforce development programs, and online degree programs. Allyson Watson, provost of Florida A&M University, welcomed the group with opening remarks. Jim Clark, provost of Florida State University, joined the group for lunch.
Suvranu De, dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and host for the inaugural event, said, “This is a time for me and my fellow deans to forge stronger relationships and build a clearer understanding of the challenges we face every day. While we have engineering schools from across the higher ed spectrum, to some extent we all operate in similar environments and face the same challenges in developing the engineers of tomorrow.”
“We have so much potential in this state for innovation and economic impact through engineering,” De added. “We believe that with this many great institutions coming together and working together, something tremendous is bound to come out of it.”
FEDS 2023’s participants also included Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering & Computer Science, Florida International University College of Engineering and Computing, Florida Gulf Coast University U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering, Florida Polytechnic University College of Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology College of Engineering and Science, University of Central Florida College of Engineering & Computer Science, University of Florida Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, University of North Florida School of Engineering, and the University of South Florida College of Engineering.
