Educational Leadership Highlights

Advancements in engineering and interdisciplinary education include classroom-level through university-level curriculum development. Courses are focused within the areas of: civil engineering and water resources, computational methods, and groundwater modeling. I led teams of post-docs, PhDs, MS students and undergraduate researchers, and served as Graduate Program Director for the Geoenvironmental Engineering Certificate Program, as an outgrowth of our NSF Combined Research and Curriculum Development grant. I built the K-State Hydraulics Laboratory through yearly design/build projects, including apparatus for: wave tank, ram pumps, turbine demonstration, pipe head loss, and Deepwater Horizon. Experiential learning activities include hosting elementary and middle school students, and scouting organizations in these facilities to showcase the importance of engineering and STEM education. I prepared for and participated in five successful ABET accreditations, once as department chair, and we are preparing for NDSU’s next ACCE visit.

Preparing Engineering Leaders

• Led faculty member teams towards synergies and successes in research, teaching, and service; e.g., during regularly scheduled meetings of all tenure track faculty members.
• Taught civil/environmental courses from introductory (Introduction to Civil Engineering, Computer Applications in Civil Engineering) to senior design (Hydraulic Engineering, Groundwater Sustainability Design) to PhD levels (Analysis of Groundwater, Numerical and Analytic Techniques for Engineers, Water and Society), all with high student evaluations.
• Led senior design experiences as water resources faculty consultant/mentor each year since 1998.
• Invested state-of-the-art computational methods into classroom experiences (e.g., Matlab/Scilab in CE 111, AutoCAD in CE 380, HEC-RAS in CE 552, ArcGIS and QGIS in CE 474 and CE 654, and AEM in CE 803 and CE 854).
• Mentored several post-doctoral research associates, many graduate students as PhD/MS advisor and committee member, and undergraduate research assistants paired with PhDs.

Leading Curriculum Reform

• Established new CEE Course and Curriculum Committee, to review and consider curriculum and course issues, and bring recommendations to faculty meetings for discussion and votes.
• Led establishment of 4+1 programs for expedited degrees in BSConM/MCM, BSCE or BSConE/MSCE, and BSConM/MBA.
• Led departmental teaching policy revisions (e.g., ABET PEOs, C policy, course prerequisites, program credit hour reduction, etc.).
• Led curriculum reform to bring CEE courses to first year students (new CEE 111/112 and ENVE 111/211 courses, CE 204); added new courses (timber design, environmental, PhD level, etc.)
• Administered course scheduling and GTA positions for teaching assistants and graders.
• Standardizing GTA/grader administrative hiring and financing procedures across departments.
• Hired adjunct instructors from industry for many courses, and facilitated their instruction.

Building a New BSEnvE Degree Program

• Established BSEnvE Task Force, and facilitated 1.5 year approval process through the ND State Board of Higher Education for a new degree program first offered Fall 2020.
• Supported development and approvals of curriculum and syllabi for all courses.
• Advocated for new positions, including successful hiring of new faculty member.
• Advocated for new laboratory space and facilities for research and education.
• Establishing financial support for laboratory equipment needs for this program.
• Co-led COE task force towards establishing environmental program, and chaired successful environmental faculty searches.

Building Educational Successes

• Met often with student leaders to plan, coordinate, and provide open forum to discuss problems, challenges and opportunities.  Hosted the inaugural departmental picnic in spring 2019.
• Supported significant upgrades to laboratory teaching capacity (new load frame in advanced materials, NDDOT donated asphalt gyratory equipment, geotechnical lab, tissues lab transition to Van Es, etc.)
• Fostered development of new CEE safety policy and procedures.
• Served as Graduate Program Coordinator for the GeoEnvironmental Certificate Program.
• Chaired the Equipment Needs Committee, which prioritized and approved funds to enhance laboratories and computer infrastructure.

Recruitment and Retension

• Met over one hundred prospective students and their families each year at Saturday Series, Discover NDSU, Minnesota College Fair, and during campus visits.
• Monitored student career placement to document, for the first time, 100% placement of graduating seniors, mostly at graduation and all within 6 months of graduation.
• Supervised coordination of student advising, prospective students, and orientations.
• Supported articulation agreements with Associate Degree colleges (UTTC, Itasca Community College, and MState).

Accreditation by ABET, ACCE

• Oversaw successful ABET Accreditation, and incorporated new assessment criteria.
• Supported accreditation coordinators activities towards program assessment and continuous program improvement.
• Conducted senior exit interviews and communicated information with faculty.
• Standardized course substitution policies across departments.

Leading Transition to Online Education

• First department at NDSU to schedule training for distance education, to prepare faculty members for online courses, office hours, and advising.
• First department to transition administrative approvals to online format.
• Promoted and coordinated remote access to computer labs for student computer needs.
• Fostered adjunct professor engagement in distance learning platforms.