College of Engineering deans explore problem-solving, collaborations at summit

Special to the Outlook

Leadership from 12 engineering schools across Florida convened at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering last week for the inaugural Florida Engineering Dean’s Summit, an opportunity for the state’s engineering educators to explore solutions for shared problems and potential collaborations.

“We have so much potential in this state for innovation and economic impact through engineering, we believe that with this many great institutions coming together and working together, something tremendous is bound to come out of it,” said Suvranu De, dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, the joint engineering school of Florida A&M University and Florida State University.

Attendees at the two-day summit discussed college leadership structure, support for large-scale public-private partnerships, undergraduate student success, faculty development, workforce development programs, online degree programs and other topics.

Deans also toured the engineering research labs in Tallahassee’s Innovation Park, which are closely associated with the joint college, including the FSU-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the only national laboratory in the state of Florida funded by the National Science Foundation.

“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,” De said. “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.”