(32e) Strategies for Creating and Sustaining A Departmental Culture: Turning Theory Into Action

STRATEGIES FOR
CREATING AND SUSTAINING A DEPARTMENTAL CULTURE:

TURNING THEORY
INTO ACTION

In this invited
paper we build upon work which was originally published in the 2010 ASEE
Conference Proceedings. Each engineering department has a unique departmental
culture based on its history, faculty makeup, geography, and a myriad of other
factors. While some departments have a long history with a well-established
culture and traditions, other departments that have been recently formed are
faced with the challenge of creating a culture from scratch. The success of a
department in creating and sustaining a desirable culture can have a
significant impact on recruiting, retention, and general satisfaction of its
undergraduate students.  This paper reviews the engineering literature and
describes different models and activities which departments have successfully
used in this area, including freshman courses,  
professional   societies,   departmental  
traditions,   professional   development courses,  and 
intentional  interactions  between  faculty  and 
students.  These types of activities also serve to shape students'
expectations about what it means to enter the engineering profession and help
new student identify themselves as engineers.

In this paper
we discuss some strategies to consider when attempting to create or modify a departmental
culture from three perspectives:

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Faculty perspective

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Department Chair's perspective

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College of Engineering perspective