The Illinois Board of Higher Education on Tuesday approved the new college, which has been in the works since 2016. ISU board members previously approved sending the proposal to IBHE last May.
The new college “will offer an innovative, experiential and industry-informed curriculum,” ISU President Terri Goss Kinzy said. “Importantly, the vision for the college centers on meeting the national need to grow and diversify the STEM pipeline, creating more educational opportunities for historically underrepresented and underserved students to successfully enter engineering professions.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker also praised the move in a statement.
“Illinois State understands that our whole state is stronger when more of our residents have access to opportunities in STEM,” he said, “and I applaud the University’s commitment to build an engineering program that opens doors for traditionally underrepresented students.”
Here’s a look at everything we know so far.
When will students start at the college?
Students are at least two years out under the plan Kinzy laid out to IBHE. The interim will be spent hiring administrators, faculty and staff and getting spaces ready. A statement from Pritzker’s office said the goal is for students to start in the fall of 2025.
How many students are expected to enroll?
Initial enrollment is expected to be around 130 students, growing to 520 students by the fourth year of operation.
What will be offered?
ISU has laid out plans for three programs: general engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. The college will have two departments: a Department of Electrical Engineering and a Department of Mechanical Engineering.
In her presentation, Kinzy indicated the university is planning to offer Bachelor of Science degrees in each of the three programs. There is no graduate school planned for the college as of this time.
How many people will work at the college?
IBHE documents say around 40 people will be employed at the college when it reaches its full size. That includes 21 tenure-track faculty positions.
The university also plans to create six new tenure-track positions to accommodate more students in other departments, such as math and physics, that are expected to have significant crossover with engineering.
What is the reasoning behind adding the college?
University officials have said they hope to fill a need for an engineering college for students who want to stay in Illinois but who may not get into or fit at other universities in the state. IBHE documents say there is a clear, and increasing, need for engineers in the area, and ISU hopes to help address that, as well as improve representation within the field.
What will make it different from other engineering schools?
University officials have focused on creating the college with a clear commitment to equity. Its enrollment goals include having 30 percent to 35 percent students of color and more than the national average of 22 percent women.
IBHE members highlighted this as a real-world implementation of the state board’s statewide strategic plan: “A Thriving Illinois.”
“What we have here is an example of how social institutions are supposed to work (by basing their work of shared values),” board member Kenneth Shaw said.
How does ISU hope to do this?
In her presentation, Kinzy highlighted purposeful recruitment efforts, as well as wrap-around supports to keep students engaged and enrolled. That includes spending on recruiting underrepresented groups, as well as scholarship opportunities. The curriculum as well is meant to help students succeed, including starting in engineering courses their first year.
“We want students to walk in on their first day and think of themselves as engineers,” Kinzy said.
There will also be an equity focus in hiring faculty and staff. The goal ties into a university-wide initiative to dedicate $4.5 million over five years to recruiting more faculty and staff from historically marginalized backgrounds.
What are the costs involved?
Renovation of the John Green building near Gregory and Main and other initial capital costs are estimated at $44 million. An estimated $5 million to $8 million could be needed to renovate spaces around campus for operations displaced by the John Green building changes. Another $1.2 million in costs are expected before students arrive.
Additional approvals from the ISU Board of Trustees will be needed for initial implementation plans, including financing, the university said.
What will be the impact on ISU’s finances long-term?
ISU estimates the net contribution of the college will be $1.7 million a year, before any debt service is taken into account.
©2022 The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
