One of Case’s cornerstones celebrates
125 years of education, innovation and growth
Engineering Plus . . . A Growing Community
February 3, 2005 | For more information: Laura
M. Massie (216)-368-4442
Case Western Reserve University and its Case School of Engineering
have long been synonymous with academic excellence. This excellence
continues today as both the university and the school move up the national
rankings. However, Case’s vision to become the most powerful learning
environment in the world goes beyond rankings, according to President
Edward M. Hundert. College is as much about being a part of society
as it is about learning within a discipline. This is why students, faculty
and staff at the Case School of Engineering are working together to
strike a balance between the school’s renowned academic environment
and a strong sense of community, or what Dean Robert F. Savinell calls “Engineering
Plus.”
According to Savinell, who also is the George S. Dively Professor of
Engineering and a pioneer in fuel cell research, the impetus for change
came from current students and alumni alike.
“A lot of current and former students have told us that the Case
experience was something they survived more than they enjoyed,” Savinell
said. “We have made a conscientious effort to adopt a different
approach – one that makes our students feel they are part of an
environment that encourages them to be an engaged member of this community
as well as excel in the classroom.”
Much more than an abstract concept, the vision of a more engaged engineering
student body has become a reality. One needs look no further for concrete – and
glass – proof than Nord Hall, home of the School of Engineering’s
administrative offices since 2003. In addition to updated office and
meeting space for school personnel, Nord Hall provides students with
a full-service computer lab, easily accessible student service areas
and a four-story atrium – complete with an Einstein Bros. Bagels
and a variety of seating options for studying, chatting with friends
or the occasional nap between classes.
James D. McGuffin-Cawley, associate dean of undergraduate programs,
asserts that the student-centric layout of the newly renovated Nord
Hall is no accident.
“This building really has succeeded in what it was planned to
do,” he said. “We have two student service areas right by
the front door, so students can almost literally stumble onto help.
Just beyond that, the atrium is a wonderful place for students, faculty
and staff to congregate. There’s a huge conference room adjacent
to the atrium, so students can see if there are any speakers or events
in there they want to check out. It’s all laid out to encourage
interaction among students and between students and faculty.”
McGuffin-Cawley says more physical enhancements are in the works. “We
recently added a blackboard in the atrium so students can work out equations
together or leave messages for each other, and we’re looking to
add more signage and informational areas. We also hope to add a plasma
screen television that can run a continuous loop of programming,” he
said.
While the physical changes have been dramatic, McGuffin-Cawley is quick
to point out that they are only part of the equation. Staff members
have been added or reassigned in key areas, and more formal and informal
lines of communication have been opened between student services personnel
at various levels as well as between students and administration.
“The big changes to the building are what people notice first,
but there are a lot of programmatic and service improvements going on
schoolwide and in the individual departments,” McGuffin-Cawley
explained.
One department in particular that is revisiting how to better serve
its students is the department of electrical engineering and computer
science (EECS). The department, the school of engineering’s largest,
has established its own student affairs office – the brainchild
of department chair Mehran Mehregany and student affairs coordinator
Beth Fuller Murray. Painted bright blue and yellow and located just
inside the main doors of the Olin Building, the office is hard to miss,
but its origins are easy to explain.
“We went through a major restructuring in the mid 1990s, and
there was a bit of a disconnect between the administration and the students,” explains
Fuller Murray, who first proposed the idea for the office and has been
involved since its first incarnation in 1996. The office has recently
focused heavily on improving the undergraduate experience. Recent improvements
have ranged from physical (new furniture and vending machines in Olin)
to highly programmatic (student-faculty town hall meetings and exit
surveys for graduating seniors).
While Fuller Murray continues to work closely with student leaders
to find new ways to engage students in the EECS community, student involvement
isn’t unique to one department within the Case School of Engineering.
Student leaders historically have been involved in change on campus,
and the current culture is no different.
Greg Barendt, a fourth-year biomedical engineering major, feels that
the voice of the student is as important as ever to the continued evolution
of the school.
“I think students truly can get things changed here,” says
Barendt, who is also president of the Case Engineers Council, an organization
that includes representation from all recognized engineering student
groups. Barendt points out that communication between administration
and students and among student groups can always be improved, but he’s
pleased with what he sees and is optimistic for the future.
“I just think it’s becoming a friendlier campus, a place
where students want to hang out and be around one another,” Barendt
said.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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