May 2007 ISSUE
education
Schulich Dean Outlines Growth Plans
 |
Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, P.Eng. |
The Schulich School of Engineering has its eye on a top-three research ranking among engineering schools in Canada, Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, P.Eng., told APEGGA Annual Conference guests in Calgary April 26. A 2005 endowment from Ontario mining baron Seymour Schulich was a “major turning point” for the University of Calgary school, and APEGGA members should watch for a number of advancements in coming years, the engineering dean said.
Becoming a top-three research school is no minor accomplishment. “This is important. It is not research for research’s sake,” Dr. Cannon told a conference luncheon audience of more than 300. “It’s about knowledge generation and it’s about having our faculty and students engaged in state-of-the-art innovation, which drives a better learning experience.”
The Schulich School of Engineering currently has 27 research chairs, but the number will soon expand to 35. The school has to expand, attract the best and brightest students, and compete with other improving engineering programs, the dean said.
“This is an exciting time. We have unprecedented economic growth
in Calgary. The city is a political spotlight — we have the Prime Minister
and some of our key ministers from our backyard. We are the engineering capital
of Canada, so we have the profession and the community behind us,” she
said.
“This is wonderful and we want to seize these opportunities. But it means
we need to be focused. We can’t be all things to all people. We have to
recognize our challenges and be able to work within that context, to really move
our school forward.”
The undergraduate program has grown 35 per cent in last five years. The student count is about 2,700, placing the program in the top five in enrolment numbers in Canada. It’s not unplanned growth, however. Enrolments are expanding in key areas, according to their importance in the economy, such as biomedical, energy and environmental engineering.
The graduate program is growing, too. It’s up 70 per cent in the last five years to about 1,000 students. Many are full time, and about 44 per cent are from outside of Canada. Faculty is up 30 per cent over the same period to about 150 people, and the school plans to add more.
Employers expect a “value-added engineering degree,” Dr. Cannon said. “It is no longer sufficient to just have four technical skills. Employers want broader skill sets, to make their businesses more competitive.”