Mission
The mission of the Florida Atlantic University Department of Electrical Engineering is:

• To produce graduates with a strong grasp of engineering fundamentals, knowledge in technical specialty areas, and an appreciation of the power of collaborative effort applied to problem solving.
• To offer courses and programs which stimulate innovation and enhance the ability of graduates to achieve high levels of professional development and to succeed in a competitive marketplace.
• To conduct research in selected areas and to integrate research results with teaching activities.
• To provide service to the engineering profession and community and forge strategic alliances with other professions.

Academic Program Goals
The Electrical Engineering Department has goals for both the undergraduate and graduate programs.

The undergraduate program goal is to develop specialized proficiencies in the concepts, methods, and tools required for entry level positions in Electrical Engineering (EE) and for graduate and professional studies. Qualified students in senior standing may pursue one of several in-depth EE Elective Tracks: Telecommunications and Digital Signal Processing, Systems and Robotics, and Electromagnetics and RF.

The master's program goal is to develop specialized proficiencies in the concepts, methods, and tools required for intermediate level positions in Electrical Engineering and other professions and for PhD studies. Students may elect either the thesis or non-thesis option, depending on whether they prefer a strongly research oriented direction or a breadth of graduate level course work and an element of research.

The doctoral program goal is to develop specialized proficiencies in the concepts, methods, and tools required for high level positions and leadership in Electrical Engineering and other professions. Coursework and teaching experience are considered to be a significant part of graduate education. PhD candidates are required to assist with course instruction for the equivalent of at least one semester.

The process of achieving these general program goals to the fullest extent possible requires attention to goals in several different department functional areas, including Human and Physical Resources, Education and Outreach. The Department Strategic Plan, Roadmap to Excellence, provides a list of goals, objectives and outcomes and the process for ensuring the achievement of the outcomes, measuring the degree of achievement, and providing continuous improvement feedback. A General Implementation and Assessment Plan (GIAP) is also described. The GIAP forms the basis of the departmental Continuous Improvement Process (CIP), in which the entities responsible for ensuring successful outcomes engage in a continuous feedback process.

Short Term Objectives

1. Facilitate completion of the Department Strategic Plan, Roadmap to Excellence.
2. Provide oversight and leadership in the preparations for the ABET accreditation review.
3. Appoint an Industry Advisory Board and a Department Executive Committee.
4. Increase TASFTE by approximately 50%. This is more than double the current rate of increase. Explore ways in which to reduce the cost per FTE.
5. Increase Research Expenditures by approximately 25-35% by providing incentives and opportunities for faculty. This will bring expenditures to the 500-600K level of 1996-97 and provide a start on the path toward the national average of 150K per faculty.
6. Continue work on the mechanics of offering Technology Transfer (training courses) to industry through the appropriate University channel. Topics in this area include EMI, RF and Mixed Signal, and Emerging Technologies.
7. Facilitate the offering of several distance learning Internet courses in areas which have national appeal, e.g., Photovoltaic Systems Engineering, RF and Mixed Signal Design, and IP/ATM Telecommunications Networks.
8. Complete the Laboratory Space Allocation and Implementation Plans.
9. Upgrade the equipment in Laboratory I and II and specialized teaching laboratories through a combination of Department and College funds and industry donations.
10. Facilitate the growth of the IEEE Student Branch and integrate its leadership into the departmental governance structure.

Long Term Objectives

1. Evaluate and benchmark the department in order to measure progress toward the goal of being in the top quartile of NRC rankings for EE departments in the nation.
2. Design a comprehensive recruitment program to identify and attract high-quality graduate students and secure funding for an endowment to support a significant number of new graduate assistants and research assistants.
3. Rework the Bioengineering undergraduate degree program proposal for submission to Academic Affairs and the new Board of Trustees and proceed with aggressively marketing the program. Complete a Whitaker Foundation proposal with the College of Science in order to defer some of the cost and to bring national prominence to the initiative.
4. Work with University Administration and the Florida Space Research Institute to offer and receive Internet2 distance education courses in selected areas.
5. Facilitate the creation of a world-class Information Networks and Intelligent Systems Laboratory and Incubator and encourage research spin-off startups.
6. Facilitate the creation of a world-class Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Laboratory capable of testing to both North American and European standards coupled with a Center of Excellence for RF Design and Training through resource/funds development.
7. Facilitate the creation of a world-class Institute of Inventive and Innovative Thinking.
8. Work with Industry, the Community, and the College of Science to seek a substantial endowment and name the Science and Engineering Building (SE) 43.

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