At the core of this transformation is an initiative called “25 by 25.” The name suggests that the emphasis is on numbers, since the plan is to increase the number of engineering students from 19,400 (current enrollment) to 25,000 by 2025. But it’s about much more than quantity.
The 25 by 25 effort, which has wide support from former students and industry, is guided by three principles. One is to enhance engineering education, which will help increase retention among other benefits. “We want to produce students who are better prepared through state-of-the-art instruction from top-notch faculty,” she said. The second goal is to increase access, in large part by reaching out to qualified but traditionally overlooked students.
“We can’t keep growing as a state and not provide greater access to high-quality engineering education,” she noted. And Banks is determined to accomplish this in an affordable, efficient way. “We’re not going to develop extensive plans for enhancing engineering education and say, ‘Oh, by the way, we’re going to double tuition to pay for it.’ That’s not going to happen. We will work within our current budget.”
These principles— education enhancement, access and efficiency —underpin the 10 key advancements outlined below, all of which offer opportunities for former students and businesses to participate in the groundbreaking revitalization of one of the most prestigious colleges of engineering in the country.