Red brick buildings seen through trees around sunset.

Voiland College 2023 – 2028 Strategic Plan

Supporting Students, Fueling Innovation, Building Community

Executive Summary

As a college with a balanced responsibility for research, education, and community support, Washington State University’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture (VCEA) serves as the cornerstone of innovation and workforce development for the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region.

Activities to update Voiland College’s strategic plan were initiated in early 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a temporary pause in planning to allow community members to focus on managing the pandemic-induced disruptions and to gain an understanding of which, if any, of the modifications initiated during the pandemic were likely to be long-lasting. Once our operations had stabilized, planning efforts resumed. Numerous listening and feedback sessions were conducted with employees and industry partners, as well as a college-wide survey.

Feedback from this outreach gravitated around four main themes:

  • Student Success and Belonging
  • Research, Creativity, and Engagement
  • Employee Development, Wellness, and Culture
  • Infrastructure

History of Voiland College

Washington State University’s (WSU) educational offerings have included a focus on engineering and related disciplines since the very beginning. In 1897, two of WSU’s first seven graduates, Orin Hector Stratton and Carl Estby, received degrees in civil engineering.

Over the past 30 years, Voiland College has seen incredible growth—going from operations on a single campus in Pullman to an evolving system of interconnected programs in the cities of Bremerton, Everett, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver. In 2013, WSU added new electrical and mechanical engineering programs in Bremerton and Everett to better serve the needs of the Puget Sound region. In 2022, Voiland College extended PhD opportunities to Vancouver.

Established under the mission of a public land-grant institution—to provide education to all, conduct scholarly inquiry that benefits society, and share expertise that boosts the lives of individuals and communities—Voiland College continues to have a tremendous impact on the communities it serves. As the college grows and evolves, we seek opportunities for strengthening and expanding that impact.

Voiland College Today

As one of largest colleges in the WSU system, Voiland College saw a student enrollment of more than 4,700 undergraduates enrolled in the fall of 2022. At the undergraduate level, the population is highly diverse with 22% female students, 25% of the student populuations are Pell-grant eligible (a marker of limited family financial resources), 35% are students of color, 32% are the first in their families to attend college, and more than 85% of undergraduate students are from the state of Washington.

At the graduate and professional levels, Voiland College hosts students from around the world. More than 33% of members of the graduate community are women and about 50% of Voiland College graduates are from the USA.

In 2023, Voiland College has nearly 400 employees, including 135 tenured or tenure-track faculty whose work contributed to more than $30.7M in research expenditures.

Voiland College serves both the WSU system and its local community by:

  • Supporting the full range of engineering, computer science, and architecture disciplines and engaging in high-quality sponsored research;
  • Welcoming and supporting a diverse cohort of students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, for whom a Voiland College degree has the potential to change the trajectory of their lives and their communities;
  • Actively engaging with corporate partners to ensure that our accredited degree programs are current and optimally designed to meet the needs of our graduates today and in the future and that the research conducted is designed to have maximum impact on society.

Mission

As a core college in a Research University with Very High research activity,* as well as a land-grant university, our mission is threefold:

  • To conduct fundamental and applied disciplinary and cross-cutting research that leads to new knowledge, transformative technology, and innovative designs;
  • To educate and prepare students through state-of-the-art programs, preparing them for professional careers and leadership in engineering and design professions;
  • To engage people, industry, and communities to improve quality of life and enhance economic development.

*According to the latest Carnegie Classifications.

Vision

Founded on the principles of collaboration, innovation, and transformation, the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture is a world leader in providing solutions to societal grand challenges and quality “work-ready, day-one” graduates.

Strategic Planning

As a unit within Washington State University, Voiland College is guided by WSU’s Strategic Plan.

In addition, Voiland College’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan serves as the blueprint for providing direction on advancing the key goals and objectives our college will undertake to fulfill our mission and achieving our vision.


Main Themes

Goal:

To provide our undergraduate and graduate students with a transformative experience that enables their pathway to success.

Objectives:

  • Create a vibrant, technologically-advanced learning culture that values accessiblility, diversity, inclusiveness, and sense of belonging.
  • Support students inside and outside of the classroom with the best pedagogical and student success practices to prepare them for successful careers.
  • Create learning opportunities for students via experiences that are integrated into the culture and academics of our college.

Intended Outcome:

Current and former students will agree that Voiland College is an effective, welcoming, premier institution that provides the critical foundations that help students of all backgrounds achieve academic and career success.

Primary Metrics:

MetricLeadSource
The sense of belonging amongst our students.VCEA Associate Deans of Student Success and ResearchFirst Year Experience (FYE) survey and student satisfaction survey
The diversity of students enrolled (undergraduate and graduate).VCEA Associate Deans of Student Success and ResearchInstitutional Research
The six-year undergraduate student graduation rate.VCEA Associate Dean of Student SuccessInstitutional Research
Undergraduate student retention rates (first year and overall).VCEA Associate Dean of Student SuccessInstitutional Research
The number of undergraduate and graduate degrees conferred annually.VCEA Associate Deans of Student Success and ResearchInstitutional Research
Number of students (undergraduate and graduate) employed at time and at six months from graduation.VCEA Associate Deans of Student Success and ResearchInstitutional Research, Graduate School

Goal:

To further advance Voiland College’s innovative solutions and impactful research by engaging in strategic collaborative efforts.

Objectives:

  • Increase Voiland College’s inter- and transdisciplinary research collaborations.
  • Support a diverse portfolio of fundamental and applied research and scholarship, with an emphasis on cultivating expertise in strategic areas with a cross-cutting appeal.
  • Increase engagement of faculty and students with industry and community partners and other external stakeholders.
  • Enhance a sense of community that promotes and celebrates scholarly inquiry and external engagement.
  • Develop a world-class research program and innovation ecosystem that produces research products and solutions for global challenges.

Intended Outcomes:

Voiland College will have a world-class reputation for developing and enhancing innovative research and creative activity.

Voiland College will be seen as a premier research institution where all students, staff, and faculty can attain their professional aspirations while contributing to the betterment of the world.

Primary Metrics:

MetricLeadSource
The annual research expenditures within the college and per faculty.VCEA Associate Dean of ResearchWSU Office of Research
The VCEA faculty success rate of submitted proposals of value.VCEA Associate Dean of ResearchAcademic Analytics
The number of scholarly research publications and associated products (patents, software, etc.) along with citation impact metrics within the college and per faculty.VCEA Associate Dean of ResearchWSU Office of Research, Web of Science, Office of Commercialization, Academic Analytics
The national and global ranking of Voiland College programs and disciplines.VCEA Associate Dean of ResearchVarious ranking sources
The number of proposals submitted in collaboration with industry, community partners or other external partners.VCEA Associate Dean of ResearchORSO
The number of inter- and transdisciplinary proposals submitted.VCEA Associate Dean of ResearchORSO

Goal:

To successfully recruit and retain a talented, diverse workforce that advances our land-grant mission of serving the public good.

Objectives:

  • Attract diverse and highly qualified candidates for employment.
  • Support employees with resources that enable them to be successful.
  • Compensate employees with competitive and equitable salaries.
  • Promote a healthy work-life balance amongst employees.
  • Promote a workplace culture that prioritizes inclusion, diversity, equity, and a sense of belonging.

Intended Outcomes:

Voiland College’s employees are talented, productive, engaged, and have a strong sense of belonging within the college.

Primary Metrics:

MetricLeadSource
The percentage of permanent employees retained by the college after five years on a calendar year basis.VCEA HRSWSU HRS
The diversity of Voiland College’s permanent employee workforce.VCEA HRSWSU HRS
The sense of belonging amongs Voiland College’s employees.VCEA HRSWSU Biannual Employee Satisfaction Survey

Goal:

To support the Voiland College’s employees, students, and partners with modern, state-of-the-art facilities.

Objectives:

  • Align resources with strategic infrastructure priorities.
  • Increase funding resources for infrastructure.
  • Engage in integrated teaching, research, fundraising, and facilities fundraising planning.

Intended Outcomes:

Voiland College’s infrastructure priorities will be successfully funded from the state of Washington, philanthropic support, federal agencies, and other funding mechanisms.

Voiland College will be positioned to identify and develop needed facilities based on evidence-based practices in pedagogy and scholarship, forecasts of future academic, industry and demographic shifts, and changes in technology.

Voiland College’s physical infrastructure will provide a superior environment for effective and efficient teaching, learning, and engagement, and serves as a space that welcomes all the members of our community.

Primary Metrics:

MetricLeadSource
The square footage of new space that has been constructed or renovated since 2022.VCEA FacilitiesWSU Facilities
The total funding made available for facilities since 2022.VCEA DevelopmentWSU Foundation, WSU Budget Office