Emerging Technology

University launches the new Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology

Sometimes ideas can reshape the future. Just ask Georgia Southern President Brooks Keel and Provost Ted Moore.

After last year’s milestone achievement of adding mechanical, civil and electrical engineering degree programs, the pair envisioned the formation of a new college dedicated to engineering. Last summer, they delivered a proposal to information technology faculty with the idea of merging the new engineering programs with computer science and information technology into one college. “We asked the deans, department chairs and faculty to recommend a committee to study the idea,” said Moore.

In November, after months of studying how such an alliance would advance the academic mission of the University, the merger committee, consisting of faculty, staff, students and alumni overwhelmingly recommended the formation of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology (CEIT), which was approved by Keel.

Part of the restructuring process includes moving the departments of Information Systems and Construction Management to the College of Business Administration (COBA) and establishing the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) to house programs in biology, chemistry, geology and geography, military science, physics, pre-medical/ pre-dental and mathematical sciences. According to Moore, the creation of CEIT is a strategic fit.

“This positions us uniquely in the state of Georgia, bringing these two broad families of disciplines together,” he said. “I can count on one hand the number of new engineering colleges in the United States. By having both of these families in one organizational structure, this will help in the current design and accelerate research here. There will be synergistic relationship between engineering and IT,” said Moore, “and it will make our engineering programs cutting edge, because IT is articulated in solid engineering disciplines.”

Mohammad Davoud, the chair of mechanical and electrical engineering and interim dean of CEIT said that the establishment of the CEIT is a strategically important decision made by the University that will have the highest economic impact in south Georgia. “This college will have eight graduate and undergraduate degree programs and will produce work-ready graduates in support of the industry and economic developments of south Georgia. We all know that new industry will be coming to our region to capitalize on highly trained and capable engineering, computer science and information technology graduates,” said Davoud. “We hope to attract many industries in the near future in this area that provide jobs for the citizens in our region.”

According to Brian Vleck, chairman of the merger committee and also Georgia Southern’s mechanical engineering program coordinator, the new college is a win-win situation for faculty and students alike. “In the past, while we had faculty and students from computer science and electrical engineering performing research in the field of robotics, there was very little cross-collaboration between the groups. Under the new college structure, faculty are already exploring common areas of research and curriculum,” he said.

In addition to faculty collaboration, other benefits of the merger include additional scholarships and expanding curriculums. “The two departments of computer science and electrical engineering can bring the software and hardware sides together to develop a computer engineering program,” said Wen-Ran Zhang, chair of computer sciences.

As a result, students will also have significant hands-on experiences, said Art Gowan, chair of information technology. “This will allow our students to hit the ground running upon graduation. Our programs are already growing and demand for our graduates in both IT and engineering is on the rise. Together, I have little doubt this new College will be very successful,” he said.

Careful planning of the University’s newest college continues and there’s no doubt engineering at Georgia Southern is destined to leave a footprint in the state of Georgia and around the world with increased economic opportunities and partnership.

—Mary Beth Spence