Holdings Engineering Dean's Office College Policy and Developm... Finding Aid Title: College Policy and Development Committee Files, 1952-87
ID: 11/1/58
Primary Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. College of Engineering
Extent: 4.6 cubic feet
Arrangement: By Subject.
Date Acquired: 04/01/2013
Subjects: Curriculum Development, Engineering, College of, Engineering Education, Engineering Instruction
Languages: English
College of Engineering Policy and Development Committee Files (1952-1987), include agendas, minutes, reports, correspondence, memos, and notes documenting the Committe's initiatives and activities revising curricula in the College, such as the formation of subcommittees devoted to educational reform and planning; the integration of social science and humanities courses into the Engineering curriculum; the addition or discontinuance of certain courses and programs (such as the addition of a baccalaureate program in Computer Science, 1970-1971, a Bioengineering program in 1966, and the end of the Mining Engineering curriculum in 1965); the debate over establishing a master's degree program in General Engineering (1968-1975) and the role of humanities and social sciences courses in the Engineering curriculum; the role of mathematics coursework in the undergraduate curriculum (1964-1965); and the activities of the Allerton Conference Planning Committee, (1964-1965). Includes correspondence with Nelson Wax, Harry H. Hilton, Nathan M. Newmark, Daniel C. Drucker, William L. Everitt, Andrew V. Granato, Narbey Khachaturian, John D. Haltiwanger, Howard L. Wakeland, and members of the University of Illinois Senate Committee on Educational Policy.
Organized when the University opened in 1868 and formed as a college in March, 1873, the College of Engineering operates an experiment station, twelve departments, and a graduate program.
The duties of the Dean of the College of Engineering have evolved from being chairman at faculty meetings to being chief administrator for and representative of the College within the University system.1 In this capacity as chief administrator, the Dean has the power to create positions and offices under his direct control in order to meet his obligations to both faculty and students.2
The Measurement Program was created in 1948.3 It is a branch of the Engineering Experiment Station, which was founded in 1909 and placed under the control of the Dean of the College.4 It functions as a service group for the entire campus by calibrating and repairing optical and electrical laboratory equipment used for experimentation or instruction.5
Student Placement is an office providing information and assistance to graduating students seeking employment.6 This office developed as a result of the University's policy of leaving employment counseling to the deans of the colleges.7 Its budget and staff are incorporated into the general administrative allocations of the College.8
The Bioengineering office was created in 1973 when the Urbana-Champaign Senate approved a recommendation from the College of Engineering for the establishment of a bioengineering option. Because students in any of the engineering curricula are eligible to participate in this option, this office was placed under the control of the Dean of the College.9
1. Ira O. Baker and Everett King. A History of the College of Engineering of the University of Illinois, 1868-1945, p. 114-116.
2. Statutes, September 1, 1957, p. 10.
3. Board of Trustees Transactions, 44th Report, June 15, 1948, p. 1289.
4. Ira O. Baker and Everett King. A History of the College of Engineering of the University of Illinois, 1868-1945, p. 116.
5. Interview with the Acting Director, February, 1980.
6. Interview with the Assistant Dean, February, 1980.
7. Annual Register, 1943-1944, p. 109.
8. Board of Trustees Transactions, 41st Report, June 24, 1941, p. 317.
9. Board of Trustees Transactions, 57th Report, March 21, 1973, p. 234.