1. I m a g i n a t i o n , I n n o v a t i o n , I m p a c t
S t r a t e g i c P l a n 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 8

2. I m a g i n a t i o n , I n n o v a t i o n , I m p a c t
Introduction 1
Mission, Vision and Core Values 3
Strategic Goals
Build a Research Agenda that Addresses Society’s 4
Most Pressing Challenges
Create a Boundaryless Learning Environment and 6
Empowering Student Experience
Be a Catalyst for Drexel’s Innovation Neighborhood 8
Redesign the College’s Financial Architecture 10
Conclusion 12
Appendix 13
C O n t e n t s

3. • A culture of service woven into the fabric of the College and for which we
provide explicit recognition, and appreciation.
• Greater gender, bio-demographic, and socioeconomic diversity of the
College’s student body, faculty, and professional staff and an environment
more inclusive and appreciating of our differences.
• Academic and intellectual “cross-pollination” across the engineering
disciplines, using both formal mechanisms and informal means for
information sharing.
• Enhanced coordination and communication throughout the College that
increases the efficiency and responsiveness of student academic and
personal support services as well as administrative services for all faculty,
staff, and undergraduate and graduate students.
• Meaningful and accessible opportunities for the professional development
and career advancement of faculty and staff.
These qualities are fundamental to everything in the strategic plan that follows.
I ask you – individual faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends – to join me in a
commitment to become the community we wish to be and to achieve the goals of
this strategic plan and our vision for the Drexel University College of Engineering.
Joseph B. Hughes, Ph.D., P.E., DEE
Dean of Engineering
D e a n ’ s M e s s a g e
I am pleased to share with you our strategic plan for the College
of Engineering. This plan is the result of nearly a year of work by a
committee of faculty, students, staff, and alumni; discussion with a broad
cross section of the College community; and consultation with selected
faculty and administrators among the other Drexel colleges and the
University’s senior leadership.
In preparing this document, I emphasized that the strategic plan must
be bold yet achievable. President Fry has stated that the College of
Engineering will play a central role in achieving the powerful vision of the
Drexel University Strategic Plan. As the University is investing in ideas, the
College’s plan provides bold thinking and supports the University’s goals.
Additionally, I asked that our plan recognize resource requirements and
respect the College’s core values but not underestimate our potential to
grow and change.
I believe the strategic plan articulates a vision and four “big ideas” for
our research future, engineering education, driving innovation at Drexel,
and expanding resources to support these efforts. These four strategic
goals have the potential to transform the College, make us a catalyst for
the University’s vision, and dramatically impact urgent societal issues well
beyond Drexel.
Our vision is achievable. The resources the University will commit and
those the plan commits the College to obtain will fuel the drive toward our
goals. But a much more important energy source will be you, our people.
The input and feedback provided by members of the College community
have guided the strategic planning process and led us to a consensus on
a set of strategies to which each of us can contribute regardless of his or
her discipline, role, or position in the College.
Our consensus, drive, and expertise, combined with the contributions of
the University, are powerful forces, but they are still not enough to reach
our vision. For that, we must commit ourselves to creating a cohesive
community – one that emphasizes service, recognition, respect, and trust
and is built on the following pillars:
S t r a t egic P l a n 2 0 1 3 – 2 0 1 8
1

5. M I SS I O N
The College of Engineering graduates engineers who are dedicated to discovery and the application of
technology to promote economic development and improve the quality of life.
V I S I O N
The College of Engineering will be regarded for its impact on society’s greatest societal challenges through
focused research, boundary spanning education, and continuous innovation.
C O R E V A L U ES
All that the College does in pursuit of its mission and vision is guided by the following values.
Excellence
Ensure that all aspects of our pedagogy, research, administrative operations, and outreach are of excellent
quality, embodying the highest standards of knowledge, inquiry, academic freedom, integrity, and service.
Student Centeredness
Provide for the personal, intellectual, and professional development of our students, enabling them to become
leaders, be civically engaged, and pursue lifelong development.
Diversity
Value, encourage, and promote all aspects of human difference, fostering a culture that welcomes a broad
variety of personal circumstances and experiences, mirrors our rapidly changing world, and prepares our students
to be effective citizens in an increasingly interdependent society.
Innovation
Preserve and enhance our legacy of exploration, strategic leadership, and entrepreneurial risk-taking, to find new
and better ways of anticipating and addressing society’s needs and challenges.
Collaboration
Expand our expertise, resources, and impact by working closely with all segments of the University and through
partnerships and alliances internally and beyond our campus.
S t r a t egic P l a n 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 8
3
I m a g i n a t i o n , I n n o v a t i o n , I m p a c t

6. Establish the College among the Leading Voices on Energy and the Environment in the Nation.
By creating an Institute and working closely with the University’s other colleges to build broad public understanding of the
scientific, public policy, financial, and political issues surrounding energy and the environment, the College of Engineering will
establish Drexel as a renown authority on these inherently complex issues and a balanced and thoughtful party in the public
debate that surrounds them.
• Develop research groups on new energy sources, economical conversion technologies, efficient storage methods, and optimal
distribution systems.
• Promote research on environmental issues arising from energy production, new materials for energy conversion, and energy
efficiency in the built environment.
• Build a strong focus on renewable energy production and green technologies.
• Disseminate research results broadly to inform the scientific community, public discussion, and policy formulation.
B U I L D A R ESEA R C H AGEN D A T H AT A D D R ESSES
S O C I E T Y ’ S M O S T P R E S S I N G C H A L L E N G E S
Go a l I
At the center of one of the nation’s most densely populated urban corridors, adjoining a major transportation hub, and
surrounded by numerous academic and corporate institutions, the College of Engineering is uniquely positioned to address
needs of the city, region, and beyond. The College will be a leader in Drexel’s “One University” transformation by
combining its expertise with the strengths of the other colleges, and deepening its relationships with industry to develop at
least three interdisciplinary research areas focused on critical societal challenges.
1
4
I m a g i n a t i o n , I n n o

7. Improve the Quality of Human Health by
Establishing Drexel as a Leader in the Integration
of Engineering and Health.
Through expanded partnerships with the University’s academic health
sciences colleges and external healthcare institutions, the College will
develop new technologies, systems, and processes to improve
human health.
• Expand our research and competencies in rapid, computationally-
enabled drug discovery and biomedical and pharmaceutical
technology development.
• Develop our capabilities in materials, robotics, and informatics to
enhance healthcare delivery.
• Bring to bear our research capabilities and advanced engineering
technologies to the development of preventive solutions to disease
in the U.S. and abroad.
• Disseminate research results to healthcare providers to improve
patient care.
• Work with the School of Public Health, and others, to address
Health needs in the developing world related to waterborne
disease and air quality.
Contribute to the Development of a Strong National
Cyber-Infrastructure.
In collaboration with other Drexel colleges and the University’s
industry partners, the College will help develop secure, efficient,
and reliable computing.
• Grow our expertise at the interfaces of materials, devices, hard
ware, and software for communications, computing, and robotics.
• Develop, deploy, and secure computer systems to control, monitor
and analyze engineering systems in energy and healthcare.
• Facilitate the application of new, secure and reliable computer
systems to industry and government sectors.
2
3
4
Integrate the College’s Research Agenda into all
Levels and Years of Engineering Education.
• Develop introductory engineering courses for each of the primary
research areas.
• Introduce engineering students to other academic fields – such as
policy studies, public health, design, and behavioral studies – that
bear on each research area.
• Re-imagine the senior design project to reflect our research agenda.G o a l I
S t r a t egic P l a n 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 8
5
v a t i o n , I m p a c t

8. Go a l I I
C R EATE A B O U N D A R Y L ESS L EA R N I NG EN V I R O N M ENT
A N D E M P O W E R I N G S T U D E N T E X P E R I E N C E
“In support of the mission of the Charles D. Close School
of Entrepreneurship, the College of Engineering will
partner with the LeBow College of Business to develop
and offer new integrated engineering-business
undergraduate curricula.”
The future of engineering education at Drexel is rooted in the College’s history of creating innovative learning approaches in response
to emerging technologies, changing global markets, and increasingly diverse cohorts of students, faculty, and staff. In addition, other
academic units, including the Lebow College of Business, Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship, and Pennoni Honors College,
provide opportunities to incorporate additional fields, including leadership, entrepreneurship, and management, throughout our
curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Academics represent only one facet of engineering education. The co-op experience is a fundamental part of student learning and has been a significant
reason for the success of our students after graduation. We will intensify the impact of innovations in both of these areas, curriculum and co-op, by changes
we make in our culture and physical environment. We will blur the lines that traditionally divide academic settings, professional work environments, and
student living. We will create a healthy work-life balance for students – one that provides more time for in-depth inquiry, collaboration, and creativity and
helps build greater College spirit and cohesiveness. We will promote civic engagement among College students, faculty, and staff both for their education
and well-being and as part of our commitment to the community in which Drexel resides.
By building on our own history, partnering with Drexel colleges, and evolving our culture, the College will invigorate engineering education at Drexel.
6
I m a g i n a t i o n , I n n o v a t i o n , I m p a c t

9. 3
2
1
4
Infuse Engineering and Technology Education
Throughout the University to Promote
Technological Literacy.
• Develop open enrollment courses, led by engineering faculty,
that explain how engineering and technology impact
individuals, societies, and the world.
• Use the ExCITe Center (Expressive and Creative Interaction
Technologies Center) as a vehicle for introducing technology
to students beyond the College of Engineering through
multi-disciplinary, collaborative projects.
• Expand the College’s participation in EPICS (Engineering
Projects in Community Service), which brings together teams of
students from different Drexel colleges to assist local not-for-profit
organizations in addressing their technological and
business challenges.
Incorporate International Experiences into
the College’s Curriculum, Research, and
Co-op Experiences.
• Partner with selected foreign institutions to establish articulation
agreements that would assure the transferability of coursework
College students complete abroad.
• Develop courses – broad enough to apply to students in all
engineering fields – that could be offered overseas and would
fulfill Drexel engineering requirements.
• Develop an international version of Drexel’s STAR program
(Students Tackling Advanced Research) that will place College
students in research labs abroad.
G o a l I I
7
Enrich Engineering Co-op through E-learning,
Research, and International Experiences.
• Connect co-op experiences more closely with the academic
curriculum by creating online course components for students off
campus during co-op terms.
• Expand the number and variety of “research co-ops” and
international co-op opportunities.
• Create programming on leadership development, business
planning, and product design that will be provided to students
through co-op experiences, in classrooms, and online.
• Establish a “Co-op Showcase” as a means for students to share
their co-op experiences with faculty, staff, and other students.
Expand Online Course Offerings and the Use of
E-learning Technologies.
• Utilize online, hybrid, and e-learning technologies to enhance
undergraduate and graduate courses.
• Create online Drexel courses that College students can take while
pursuing international study, work, or other experiences.
• Establish a focus in the College on engineering e-learning
research and innovation that will develop student-centered best
practices for teaching engineering via the Internet.
• Create new online degree programs for those seeking advanced
education in engineering.
• Continue the College’s work with local K-12 teachers on
curriculum development and to expand the number and variety of
online education modules for use in STEM education.

10. Go a l I I I
B E A C ATA L Y ST F O R D R E X E L ’ S
I nno vation neigh b orhood
The University has staked out ambitious plans to create a dynamic urban, mixed-use neighborhood in University
City on twelve acres between Drexel and 30th Street Station. This new “Innovation Neighborhood” will house
interdisciplinary programs, innovation partnerships, industrial joint ventures, and incubators along with residential,
retail, and entertainment amenities, creating a vibrant 24/7 experience. With the possibility of high-speed rail in
Philadelphia, the neighborhood will be positioned along the nation’s most important transportation corridor.
The College of Engineering has an opportunity to be a leader in the creation of the Innovation Neighborhood
while collaborating with the other Drexel colleges on initiatives that support the College’s new vision and that of the
University as a whole.
8
I m a g i n a t i o n , I n n o v a t i o n , I m p a c t

11. G o a l I I I
1 2
Leverage the College’s New Research Initiatives
to Support the Innovation Neighborhood.
• Establish Energy and the Environment as the first resident of
the Innovation Neighborhood.
• Over time, relocate the College’s other new research initiatives
to the Innovation Neighborhood.
• Leverage the ExCITe Center to promote the Innovation
Neighborhood and model Drexel’s One-University theme.
• Attract leading technology firms and related enterprises to
the Neighborhood.
Ensure that the College’s Space in the Innovation
Neighborhood Fosters Innovation and Strengthens
its Sense of Community.
• Establish new facilities for the College that significantly expand its
footprint and provide flexible, state-of-the-art classroom, laboratory,
and business incubator space.
• Incorporate “third spaces” – places where Engineering students can
connect living and learning by integrating teaching, research,
collaboration, socializing, and living.
• Promote imagination and creativity between students of many
disciplines in their learning and living spaces.
“The College’s activities
in the Innovation
Neighborhood will be
driven and defined by
dynamic new partnerships
with industry.”
S t r a t egic P l a n 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 8
9

12. Go a l I V
R E D ES I GN T H E C O L L EGE ’ S
F I N A N C I A L A R C H I T E C T U R E
The College of Engineering must significantly grow its operating resources and build its financial assets to
achieve its new vision. It will do so by increasing its research funding, leveraging its intellectual property,
expanding its reach and enrollment through online learning, and seeking transformative levels of private support
from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
3
2
1
G o a l I V
1 0
I m a g i n a t i o n
“The College will support
and promote a culture
of philanthropy and
of giving through
strengthening of relations
with the alumni.”
Diversify and Expand the College’s Research Funding.
• Expand the College’s relationships with industry to substantially increase corporate funding
for research.
• Increase efforts to monetize the commercial value of College intellectual property.
• Explore ways in which the College can significantly increase federally funded research, recognizing
that there is significant competition for a declining amount of total public research support.
Grow Online Learning.
• Establish deeper partnerships with Drexel Online Learning to develop ways in which the College
can significantly expand its online presence.
• Pilot experimental approaches to online engineering education that would allow the College to
virtually enroll much greater numbers of students.
• Grow enrollment by expanding the number of professional master’s programs offered online.
Deeply Engage Philanthropic Supporters to Grow the College’s Endowment.
• Enlarge significantly the pool of prospective donors and engage them actively in strengthening the College’s
financial foundation.
• Promote naming opportunities for the College, its departments, professorships, and scholarships.
• Coordinate fundraising initiatives with those of the University to build the College’s endowment to support financial
aid, scholarship, and strategic objectives.

13. S t r a t egic P l a n 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 8
1 1
, I n n o v a t i o n , I m p a c t

14. C O N C L U S I O N
We have titled our strategic plan, Imagination, Innovation, Impact: Transformative Engineering for
the 21st Century to emphasize that the impact on society the College of Engineering desires is
bound only by the limits of our imaginations and of our willingness to cross traditional boundaries
that often hinder innovation.
Imagination
The University’s Strategic Plan lays out an audacious vision for Drexel. As the oldest and largest of
Drexel’s colleges, the College of Engineering has a responsibility to lead in the achievement of that
future. If we are to assume this role, however, we must imagine the College in new ways, thinking
exponentially beyond our current programs, capabilities, facilities, resources, and culture.
Innovation
Early in its discussions, the Strategic Planning Committee characterized the willingness to cross
boundaries as a fundamental condition for innovation and recognized how “siloes” that have grown
throughout the College and University have hindered our creativity and diminished the quality of our
academic and administrative lives. This strategic plan builds on that awareness and recommends
numerous collaborative opportunities and partnerships across the Engineering departments and with
the other Drexel colleges. It also recognizes that our students (current and future; undergraduate
and graduate), along with postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and staff, will be empowered by
a community that pierces the conventional boundaries among learning, living, and working to
stimulate innovation.
Impact
Throughout this plan, we have defined boldness not only as doing things that will transform the
College and drive the University’s vision, but also, and most importantly, as those that will have
dramatic impact on our society’s most pressing issues. This remains our touchstone – the essence of
what success will look like for the College of Engineering. It is the core of our vision because it is
the rationale for what we do. The fruits of the research we conduct, the education we offer, and the
innovations we produce will ultimately be measured not as ends in themselves but for how we use
them to change society – the lives of those around us near and far – for the better. It is to this call
that we ask all of you to join us in responding
1 2
I m a g i n a t i o n , I n n o v a t i o n , I m p a c t

15. Stephanie Dingle, Director of Administration, Planning & Special Projects,
College of Engineering
Wayne Hill, Assistant Dean of College Facilities
M. Ani Hsieh, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics
Yenneeka Long, Business Manager, Materials Science & Engineering
Steven May, Assistant Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
Raj Mutharasan, Professor, Chemical & Biological Engineering
Dagmar Neibur, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Banu Onaral, Director, H. H. Sun Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering
& Health Systems
Paul Richards, Alumnus, Class of 1987, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, NASA
Aleister Saunders, Associate Professor & Associate Department Head, Biology,
College of Arts & Sciences
Ali Shokoufandeh, Professor of Computer Science
Stephen Smith, Teaching Professor, Engineering Management
Jonathan Spanier, Chair, Strategic Planning Committee; Associate Professor,
Materials Science & Engineering
Delia Votsch, BS Student, Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
Jin Wen, Associate Professor of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
Subcommittees
Research
Cameron Abrams, Professor, Chemical & Biological Engineering
Peter DeCarlo, Assistant Professor, Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
Jeremy Johnson, Co-Chair of the Subcommittee; Professor, Computer Science
Steven May, Assistant Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
Karen Miu, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Raj Mutharasan, Co-Chair of the Subcommittee; Professor, Chemical &
Biological Engineering
Banu Onaral, Director, H. H. Sun Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering
& Health Systems
Kenny Simansky, Vice Dean of Research and Professor, College of Medicine
James Tangorra, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics
Engineering Education:
Richard Cairncross, Co-Chair of the Subcommittee; Associate Professor, Chemical &
Biological Engineering
Donna DeCarolis, Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, LeBow College of
Business, Associate Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship Education
Grace Hsuan, Professor, Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
Frank Lee, Teaching Professor, Computer Science
Dagmar Niebur, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Paul Richards, Alumnus, Class of 1987, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, NASA
Aleister Saunders, Co-Chair of the Subcommittee; Associate Professor & Associate
Department Head, Biology, College of Arts & Sciences
John Via, Director of Engineering Management and Associate Dean of Engineering –
Online Programs, Engineering Management
Christopher Weyant, Teaching Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
The Student Experience
Kristin Cuprzinski, MS Student, Goodwin College
John DiNardo, Senior Vice Provost, Academic Affairs
Dan Dogherty, Executive Director, Lindy Center
M. Ani Hsieh, Co-Chair of the Subcommittee; Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
& Mechanics
Youngmoo Kim, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Franco Montalto, Associate Professor, Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
Caroline Schauer, Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
Deepak Siromani, Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics
Rachel Switalski, Director of Advising, College of Engineering
Delia Votsch, BS Student, Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
Rebecca Weidensaul, Co-Chair of the Subcommittee; Associate Dean, Student Life
Strategic Planning Consultants
Anthony Knerr and John Braunstein, AKA Strategy
Consulting Assistance
John Braunstein, Senior Consultant, Anthony Knerr & Associates
Anthony Knerr, Managing Director, Anthony Knerr & Associates
D r e x e l U n iv e r s i t y C oll e g e of E n g i n e e ri n g
S t r a t e g ic P l a n n i n g C ommi t t e e
S t r a t egic P l a n 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 8
1 3

16. Center for Automation and Technology
3120 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875
Tel: 215.895.2210 | Fax: 215.895.4929
engineering@coe.drexel.edu | www.drexel.edu/engineering