School of Engineering Facilities Needs 

Program Description 

The School of Engineering has been experiencing about a 20% annual enrollment and student credit hour growth during the past several years in a trend that is expected to continue in the coming decades.  Reasons for the increase include the long range projections for workforce demand for the engineering sector that indicate increasing demand for engineers and project managers in Alaska due to the workforce attrition as well as expanding infrastructure needs for the state.   See p. 6‐7 for the President’s briefing paper and a recent op‐ed piece from the Anchorage Daily News on this topic. 

The growth in students enrolled in Engineering and the hiring of new faculty to meet the demands has put great strain on existing facilities.  One of the School’s four Departments, the Engineering, Science, and Project Management (ESPM) Department, moved all its faculty and staff into facilities in the University Center several years ago, and raised funds for the renovation (about $250K) and leasing ($120K per year) to accommodate its needs.  We request that base funding in the amount of $120K annually be provided to offset this leasing cost. 

The School, in turn, would use the ESPM funds being spent on leasing to hire an additional tenure‐track faculty member in the ESPM Department, lightening the very high reliance on adjunct faculty, and allowing the program to strengthen its research profile.  The Provost has indicated his support in concept of having ESPM pursue the development and Statewide approval of a professional PhD in Project Management, which could help UAA as it expands its circle of research capabilities in a variety of disciplines.  The high level of support from industry for the Project Management (PM) M.S. program has shown that industry is ready and willing to continue helping UAA’s PM programs to grow, and at various times in the past has developed lists of potential students for a PM PhD program at UAA.  With large projects such as the gas pipeline ever closer on Alaska’s horizon, the timing would seem particularly appropriate for pursuing support for a new PM PhD program, which this base funding would effectively catalyze. 

We also request the annual sum of $60K to cover the leasing and operation costs for two portable buildings planned for temporary installation by UAA Facilities to meet additional needs for space.  The School has several faculty recruitments in the queue based on the FY 09 Operating Budget, but currently has no additional office space, with faculty located in buildings around campus.  A recent space programming study commissioned by the School and UAA Facilities concluded that the School needs 160,000 ft2 of additional space in a new building – but in the short term, temporary facilities will greatly help meet the surge of students now enrolled in our programs.  See p. 8‐9 for a summary brochure prepared by the architects who performed the study. 

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In the future this funding stream could be diverted to offset some of the operational costs for the new Engineering building. 

 

Strategic Priority 

The ESPM Department has clearly demonstrated student success through its high enrollment growth, and its ability to raise funds through 200% “supertuition,” training course revenues, etc., enabling it to have provided significant resources back to UAA.  The transition to base funding for the present leasing costs would allow the Department to focus its resources on the strengthening of its faculty profile, and help UAA move forward in critical research areas for the state.  

The School will be facing ABET accreditation visits in Fall 2008 for the Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Systems emphasis areas of its Bachelor of Science in Engineering program, the program which has attracted hundreds of new UAA students.  The support for temporary facilities for the School would send a very positive signal to the accrediting agency that badly needed improvements in our laboratory and classroom facilities is on the way, and would also be consistent with the goal of the UA Engineering Initiative to double graduating engineers by 2012. 

Priority A – Strengthen and Develop Total Instructional Programs 

Engineering and Project Management are high demand careers, with strong student enrollment demand.  Improved facilities will help with both our teaching and research mission, in which we already engage both our graduate and undergraduate students. 

Priority B – Reinforce and Rapidly Expand our Research Mission 

ESPM will use the funding to increase its number of tenure‐track faculty, and put forward a proposal for a PhD in Project Management for Fall 2009.  Additional space is badly needed to support our increasing undergraduate research providing space for equipment used in the research. 

Priority C – Expand Educational Opportunity and Increase Student Success 

ESPM’s PM PhD proposal would provide great opportunities for graduate students who have been clamoring for this program in Anchorage for years.  The program is not available anywhere in Alaska at this time. 

The Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students currently enrolled in our programs are facing significant challenges in getting the hands‐on laboratory experiences that ultimately will be provided with a new engineering building.  The addition of temporary facilities will help partially meet the significant shortfall in space that currently exists. 

Priority D – Strengthen the UAA Community  

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Both space additions help integrate UAA with community supporters who have provided many hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and funding to meet the growing need for engineers and project managers.  

Priority E – Expand and Enhance the Public Square 

Strong support from the engineering and business community has been demonstrated consistently for UAA’s engineering and project management programs.  UAA facilities provide the physical location for public square activities, ranging from industry‐sponsored events to demonstrations for high school students.  Any investment in our facilities serves to strengthen this connection. 

Performance Measures 

The facilities support will help the School’s annual 20% growth rate, 100% of which are in high demand areas, will help improve our retention rates, will enhance our ability to perform research, will attract new students and increase tuition revenues, and help an already highly research‐productive faculty increase their ability to perform research.   New facilities will also be an important way to reduce time to graduation. 

The overall number of students and SCH within the School has more than doubled within the past decade, which has strained its facilities to the breaking point. 

See p. 10 for an OPRA generated snapshot (dated 4/15/08) of PBB Core Metrics for the School of Engineering. 

Optimize Existing Capacity 

The funding for leasing costs at UC will be used in support of a new tenure‐track faculty hire in Project Management, and will result in the submittal of a highly credibly proposal for a new PhD in Project Management at UAA. 

Funding for temporary facilities on the UAA main campus will facilitate the growth of undergraduate programs, a growth which is being dovetailed through the UA Engineering Initiative process with UAF, and to a lesser extent with UAS and the community campuses. 

Impact on Efficiency and Productivity 

Research productivity in the ESPM Department would increase significantly with the addition of a third tenure‐track tripartite faculty member.   

Without additional facilities for the School, there will be no space available for the new faculty, assuring failure in accreditation – so without support, efficiency in graduating students with accredited degrees in electrical, mechanical, and computer systems areas would go to zero. 

 

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 Investment by the School of Engineering 

The School will hire a tenure‐track faculty member in the graduate Project Management program with funds reallocated from the backfill of University Center leasing costs. 

 General Fund Request 

The School is requesting $180K of general funds, which would be available for reallocation to UAA after completion of a new Engineering building. 

Priority Ranking 

1. University Center Leasing backfill cost 

2. Funding for temporary facilities – the UAA Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services has committed to making the placement of these facilities happen 

Operating Expense 

$120K – leasing cost for space at University Center 

$60K – leasing ($50K) and operation ($10K) costs for temporary facilities    

 

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University of Alaska AnchorageCurrent Base Operating Budget Status

As Of 2/28/08

Attachment IV

FY08 Current Base Oper Budget - Engineering.xls

Major Budget Unit: School of Engineering

Year to Projected TotalExpenditures: Adjusted Date Exp to YTD and Budget

Budget Activity Year End Projections Variance

1000 Salaries/Ben 2,752,750 2,732,573 1,534,196 4,266,769 (1,514,019) 2000 Travel 1,020,630 133,596 35,000 168,596 852,034 3000 Contr Svcs 69,240 288,469 126,267 414,736 (345,496) 4000 Commdty 305,460 240,104 111,160 351,264 (45,804) 4500 Resale 478,704 - 478,704 5000 Equipment 41,260 - 41,260 6000 Fin Aid 19,047 19,047 (19,047) 7000 Overhead - - 8000 Misc (4,053) 30,000 25,947 (25,947)

Total Expenditures 4,668,044 3,409,736 1,836,623 5,246,359 (578,315)

Year to Projected TotalRevenues: Adjusted Date Exp to YTD and Budget

Budget Activity Year End Projections Variance

9100 Tuition 1,527,188 1,645,826 157,520 1,803,346 (276,158) 9150 Lab Fees 105,128 123,460 123,460 (18,332) 9210 Gen Fund 2,759,422 2,759,422 2,759,422 - 9700 Aux Receipts - - 9801 Interest Income - - 9802 Overhead 50,000 33,582 37,618 71,200 (21,200) 9900 Intra Agency Rcpt 105,480 105,480 (105,480) 9960 CIP Receipts - -

Other 93/94/95/98 226,296 290,778 290,778 (64,482) Total Revenues 4,668,034 4,958,548 195,138 5,153,686 (485,652)

Net Surplus/(Deficit) (92,663)

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Engineering

Summary

Alaska business and industry, as well as state and federal agencies, are facing critical needs for engineers of all types –

civil, electrical, mechanical, environmental and mineral as well as people trained in related occupations such as geomatics

and construction management.

Alaska’s businesses and governmental agencies require about 400 engineers per year to meet existing needs. The

university graduates about 100 engineers per year, but has instituted an initiative to double that number by 2012 (it

requires about five years to train an engineer).

Demand for engineers, and related occupations, will increase over the next few years with projected growth in general

construction, the aging of the existing workforce, and expected gas and oil field exploration and development.

Alaska’s public and private employers are paying premiums to recruit hundreds of engineers from outside the state each

year – jobs and money that should stay in Alaska.

Experience demonstrates that 80% of engineers who are trained at UA will stay in Alaska after graduation -- working,

raising families, and contributing to the economic and social well-being of the state.

In the past, UA requests for state funding to train more engineers have been only modestly successful. The primary

source of funding for enhancements has been through internal reallocations and private donations. Industry partners have

enriched the UA engineering programs with funding, internships, equipment, scholarships, and curriculum support.

Non-state funding will continue to be important, but sustainable programs require on-going state support.

Board of Regents’ FY09 Operating Request includes the following requests for Engineering & Related Programs:

UAA $1.212 million GF

Expand BS Engineering & Civil Engineering programs; expand/enhance Geomatics programs;

initiate BS in Construction Management; enhance mining/petroleum training through MAPTS program;

enhance student recruitment and advising services.

UAF $850.0 thousand GF

Funding will support student recruitment and advising services, graduate assistant

support; expanded support in core instructional areas.

UAS $100.0 thousand GF

Initiate program to recruit engineering students from southeast region and provide first-year curriculum at

Juneau campus in collaboration with UAF and UAA.

For Information Contact:

Pete Kelly, Director, State Relations

450-8006/465-2382

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UAA’s School of

Engineering:Growing to Meet

Alaska’s Needs

UAA’s School of

Engineering:Growing to Meet

Alaska’s Needs

Five times the current available space will be required for the new School of Engineering building.

500

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200

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400

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

UAA School of EnginEEring Skyrocketing Enrollment

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907.786.1900University of Alaska Anchorage

School of Engineering3211 Providence Drive, ENGR 201

Anchorage, Alaska 99508www.engr.uaa.alaska.edu

Facts & Figures

• Since 1999, UAA’s School of Engineering enrollment has grown 308%.

• Alaska’s employers need approximately 400 engineers per year.

• History shows that 80% of engineers trained at UAA will stay in Alaska.

Needs Assessment

• UAA’s School of Engineering currently occupies 40,000 square feet.

• A space needs analysis by ECI/Hyer Architecture & Interiors indicates that the program requires approximately 200,000 square feet.

“This building would provide the public square

for Engineering in Alaska.” ~RobLang,Deanof SOE

UAA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this material is available in alternate formats upon request.

The University of Alaska Anchorage is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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The School of Engineering is building economic bridges

between education & industry.

1. Alaska has a shortage of engineers. The state graduates only half the national average rating 46th in the nation.

2. Alaska’s employers need about 400 engineers per year—currently UA

graduates about 100 per year but recently instituted the Engineering Initiative to

increase yearly graduates to 200 by 2012.

3. UAA has increased engineering enrollment by 20% annually & projects doubled enrollment within the next two years. UAA

must substantially increase its faculty & facilities to meet this need.

4. Alaska’s state agencies are experiencing a critical need for engineers, especially in the Departments of Transportation & Public Facilities, Environ-mental Conservation, & Natural Resources.

5. About half of the roughly 5,000 licensed engineers in Alaska reside out-of-state.

Alaska employers are forced to hire nonresident workers to fill positions, which not only costs the state money, but also increases their turnover rates.

6. Demand for agency & industry engineers will increase due to projected increases in retirement.

7. History shows that 80% of engineers trained at UAA will stay in Alaska & contribute to the pool from which Alaskan businesses & agencies can recruit.

Public & private support is necessary to provide the margin of excellence that students & industry demand.

Facts & Figures

COMMUNITYSUSTAINABILITYINDUSTRY

UAA School of

EnginEEring

CURRICULUM TECHNOLOGY

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Interdisciplinary Learning

Community Benefit

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1 PROBABLE SITE FOR NEW SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING BUILDING

2 EXISTING SHARED ENGINEERING BUILDING

3 ALASkA NATIvE SCIENCE & ENGINEERING PROGRAM

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PBB CORE METRICS CURRENT STATUS - School of Engineering

Student Credit Hours (w. Auditors) (as of March 31,2008)Number of SCH byCourse Levels

1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07CurrentStatus

(050-099)(100-299) 1,897.0 1,856.0 1,800.0 1,927.0 2,165.0 2,186.0 2,492.0 3,424 3,423(300-499) 1,821.0 1,453.0 1,496.0 1,492.0 1,783.0 2,132.0 2,399.0 2,762 3,481(500-599) 57.0 90.0 84.0 24.0 18.0 27.0 87 294(600-699) 1,128.0 1,116.0 1,057.0 1,088.0 1,109.0 1,080.0 1,570.0 1,491 1,797Total 4,903.0 4,515.0 4,437.0 4,531.0 5,075.0 5,425.0 6,461.0 7,764 8,995

High Demand Job Degree and Certificate Awards (as March 31, 2008)

1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07CurrentStatus

All Awards 57 38 38 30 55 45 47 67 28 HD Awards 57 38 38 30 55 45 46 66 28%HD Awards 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 97.9% 98.5% 100.0%

Second Year Retention Rate (No More updates)1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Combined All 69.2% 73.3% 68.0% 83.3% 83.9% 65.9% 81.4% 74.7%1st-time Full-time Bachelor 66.7% 73.3% 65.2% 86.2% 83.9% 65.9% 81.4% 74.7%1st-time Full-time Associate 100.0% 100.0%1st-time Full-time Certificate

University-Generated Revenue (as of April 2, 2008)

In Thousands 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07CurrentStatus

Total1,020.1 1,330.3 2,036.9 2,519.5 3,086.0 2,393.0 2,720.3 3,368.5

Restricted Revenues Federal 42.3 309.1 923.0 964.0 662.3 577.2 554.4 499.7 State 149.3 80.2 1.2 49.0 104.1 60.1 55.7 44.3 Interest - - - UA Receipts 276.4 379.2 414.2 662.8 1,300.3 438.5 655.6 800.5 Student Fees - Subtotal, Restricted 468.0 768.5 1,338.4 1,675.8 2,066.7 1,075.8 1,265.7 1,344.5

Unrestricted Revenues Tuition 380.3 409.0 453.0 541.9 599.2 829.6 986.8 1,275.1 Student Fees 130.9 95.7 183.3 229.6 354.2 430.1 388.0 641.0 UA Receipts 19.7 28.0 21.3 8.2 13.9 10.5 42.4 68.7 Indirect 21.2 29.1 40.9 64.0 52.0 47.0 37.4 39.2 CIP - - - Interest - - - Auxiliary - - - Subtotal, Unrestricted 552.1 561.8 698.5 843.7 1,019.3 1,317.2 1,454.6 2,024.0

Research Focus Expenditures (as April 2, 2008)

In Thousands 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07CurrentStatus

Grand-Fund Research 295 383 555 523 460 310 550 448Other Grand-Fund Expense 222 468 916 1,342 1,783 911 830 989Total Grand-Fund Expenses 517 851 1,470 1,866 2,243 1,222 1,379 1,437

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