MISSION STATEMENT

Abby CampbellThe mission of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is to conduct innovative research and to provide a world-class education that instill the professional, technical, critical-thinking, and communication skills necessary for students and faculty to make impactful contributions to society.

VISION

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah envisions itself as a national leader in engineering education and research. Through increased visibility of our research and by building a stronger reputation for our academic programs, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah endeavors to break into the top 40 Mechanical Engineering departments in the country and into the top half of our Pac-12 peer institutions, as determined by national ranking organizations (e.g., National Research Council, U.S. News and World Report). The quality of academic instruction and research productivity will be increased through actions in pursuit of the following strategic objectives:

  • Increase research productivity through 1) strategic hires, 2) placing an emphasis on proposal writing, refereed journal publications, and other scholarly works, and 3) by increasing and efficiently utilizing student, faculty, staff, financial, and space resources.
  • Be a department that consists of faculty members who are or will be leaders in their respective fields of mechanical engineering.
  • Increase student diversity and quality by increasing the pool of students interested in mechanical engineering at the University of Utah through expanded recruiting and outreach efforts, while maintaining rigorous admission and retention policies.
  • Maintain a culture that is collegial and supportive to enhance our ability to recruit excellent new faculty and to enable the success of the faculty and students in their research and educational endeavors.
  • Maintain existing programs and develop new programs for multi- and inter-disciplinary research and learning environments in areas of state and federal needs that correlate with student interests.
  • Increase the sense of community for all students, faculty, and staff to enhance collaboration and the overall educational experience.
  • Maintain a strong commitment to excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and be proactive in making curricular changes that better prepares students to successfully compete in tomorrow’s industrial and academic job markets.