• Development of Interdisciplinary educational and research programs
    • First as the dean engineering (then later on as university provost) established several interdisciplinary programs by working with faculty/deans across the department/colleges lines.
    • These new strategic interdisciplinary programs, which reached 40+ programs, added great education value and became a magnet for recruiting, UG & graduate students as well as new faculty. Below are few programs:
    • Bioengineering
      • Faculty from 6 departments ChE, MEM, ECE, chemistry, biological science, physics.
      • Received an NSF grant ($1.38 million) to support start-up of the UG curriculum with technical entrepreneurship focus.
      • Hired a new faculty director for the program. Under his leadership the program grow. In 2017 student enrollment reached ~ 225 UG’s and ~ 25 graduate students, and became the 8thdepartment of Bioengineering in RCES.
    • Environmental initiative (BS in environmental engineering; and BA & minor Environmental Studies.
    • Minor in engineering for non-engineers
    • Minor in business for non-business majors
    • Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts and Sciences (IDEA BS)
    • Integrated business and engineering (IBE – BS, honors)
    • Computer science and business (BS), & MS in quantitative finance.
    • Women studies
  •  Faculty Renewal
    • Focused on faculty renewal in the engineering college.
    • During the period of ’01 – 04 with funds from the 2020 initiative we hired 39 new engineering faculty members at various levels in the 5 departments (represent 39% of total faculty at that time).
    • Current & new faculty contributed to the development of several interdisciplinary educational and research initiatives in optical and nanotech, IT and wireless, information systems, bioengineering, advanced materials and structural systems, and environmental.
    • Invested in Infrastructure, including renovation of undergraduate and research laboratories, and high speed network system.