Board Profile
Educator on the Front Line
Andrew Kline can see at first hand the impact of tightened federal visa policies and immigration rules on U.S. engineering schools. Western Michigan University, where he is associate dean of engineering for research and graduate education, ordinarily draws about 70 percent of its graduate students from overseas—among them Malaysians, Indians, South Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese. “We’ve seen a 20 percent decline in enrollment and a 40 to 70 percent decline in applications, depending on the country of origin” in the past three years, Kline says. Apart from lost tuition revenue from students with home-country support, “faculty are having trouble recruiting qualified students for research” to carry out projects projects they have initiated, he says.
Schools have reported processing delays in student visas as well as visas that allow international students to seek employment in the United States: optional practical training and H-1B visas. For Kline, this trend raises the questions, “To maintain economic competitiveness, who do we want in this country? Do we welcome people from other countries?” Ultimately, Congress will need to address the problem, he says. As chair of ASEE’s Zone II, representing the Society’s North Central, Illinois and Indiana, and Southeastern sections, Kline is in a position to know that the international student issue is “something that’s on everybody’s radar.”
Kline’s own research points a way to help mitigate—at least partially—the postgraduate squeeze. Having opted to pursue research in engineering education rather than his own domain of materials science, he led a team that in 2010 launched an S-STEM Scholar Program funded by the National Science Foundation. Designed to assist academically strong but financially needy students, the program provided not only scholarships but undergraduate research experiences and professional development training for more than 80 students. It resulted in increased retention and graduation rates as well as greater interest among participants in graduate study. The engineering school has since launched an accelerated master’s program. Even so, too few domestic engineering students seek graduate degrees to make up for the international drop-off, he says. Industry could help, but contemporary corporate incentives tend to favor short-term gains over long-term, research-based strategies, Kline says.
“‘Realistic’ is a good word to use for me,” says the Michigan native. It’s a characteristic he carries to the Board of Directors. While applauding ASEE’s embrace of diversity and inclusion, he recognizes its ongoing challenge of providing more value to many engineering faculty members who see the Society—with its education emphasis—as secondary in their professional lives. Changing that, he says, may have to await a change in university cultures.
Call for Board Candidates
The ASEE Nominating Committee, chaired by Immediate Past President Stephanie Farrell, requests member participation in nominating candidates for the 2021 ASEE Board election. Board positions to be nominated are: President-Elect; Vice President, External Relations; and Chairs of the Council of Sections for Zones II and IV.
- All nominees must be individual members or institutional member representatives of ASEE at the time of nomination and must maintain ASEE membership during their term of office. Nominating Committee members are not eligible for nomination.
- Candidates for President-Elect and for Vice President of External Relations must be active members who have served or are serving on the Board of Directors. Because ASEE is a Department of Defense contractor, candidates for President-Elect must currently be U.S. citizens and undergo a security clearance.
- Candidates for Chair-Elect for Zone II and Zone IV will be selected by members of their respective sections, as the ASEE Constitution stipulates. Each proposed candidate for a Society-wide office should submit a first-person biographical sketch of fewer than 400 words that documents career contributions, ASEE offices held, awards and recognitions received, and educational background. Include comments on leadership qualities, ability to collaborate with others to achieve objectives, and willingness to serve if elected. Self-nominations are accepted. For nominations for the office of President-Elect, please include a statement summarizing why you think your nominee is a good candidate for the position. A listing of members who meet constitutional eligibility requirements for the offices of President-Elect and Vice President, External Relations is available from the executive director’s office at ASEE headquarters.
Nominations will be accepted electronically at s.nguyen-fawley@asee.org. Please include a subject line that begins with the words “2021 Nomination” so that it can be forwarded to the Nominating Committee. Please be assured that your nominations are confidential and will be seen only by the assistant Board secretary and members of the Nominating Committee. The deadline to submit nominations is June 1, 2020.
Nominations postmarked by June 1, 2020, will also be accepted by mail. Please mark the envelope CONFIDENTIAL and address it to Stephanie Farrell, Chair, ASEE Nominating Committee, ASEE, 1818 N Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036.
Editor‐in‐Chief Sought for an ASEE Online Journal
The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) seeks applications and nominations for the position of editor‐in‐chief of the journal Advances in Engineering Education (AEE https://advances.asee.org/). The anticipated start date for the position is July 1, 2020. This is a volunteer position.
AEE is a peer‐reviewed, online archived journal. As an online publication, it defines new means to disseminate documented innovations in engineering education practice through the creative use of multimedia. Authors may utilize such supporting material as animation, audio, graphics, and video in addition to text in order to best demonstrate their educational achievements. The journal includes descriptions of innovative curricula, courses, and teaching practices built upon a foundation of accepted learning science principles. AEE publishes special issues around particular themes in addition to unsolicited manuscripts. The journal also publishes selected opinion pieces by engineering educators. By focusing on educational developments and practice, AEE complements other engineering education journals, which focus primarily on research.
The AEE editor‐in‐chief works with a team consisting of approximately 10 associate editors and a small advisory board that establishes and executes processes. Among these processes are establishing and maintaining the editorial standards for the journal, managing the review and publication of papers, expanding global connections of the journal, and participating in events to expand the quantity and quality of engineering education around the world.
Executing these responsibilities requires a time commitment of approximately 20 percent to 25 percent from the editor‐in‐chief. The home institution of the editor‐in‐chief is expected to provide editorial support. ASEE is responsible for the typesetting of articles, publishing the journal online, and archiving the issues and accompanying material.
Applicants should be recognized scholars in engineering education, be active members of ASEE, and be employed by an ASEE member institution.
Applicants for the position should send (a) a cover letter including a summary of relevant experience, (b) a vision statement for the future of AEE and a statement of their editorial philosophy, (c) a full CV, and (d) a list of three references to Adrianne Troilo, director of human resources for ASEE (humanresources@asee.org). Applications are due by Nov.15, 2019.
In addition, ASEE members may nominate outstanding candidates for consideration. Send nominations to Michael Loui, chair of the AEE Editor‐in‐Chief Search Committee (mloui@purdue.edu). Nominations are due by Oct.15, 2019.
The AEE Search Committee will review application materials, interview finalists, and submit recommendations to the executive director of ASEE and ultimately to the ASEE Board of Directors. The target date for completing the selection process is April 1, 2020.
Questions regarding the position or the search process should be directed to Michael Loui (mloui@purdue.edu) or to Norman Fortenberry (N.Fortenberry@asee.org), executive director of ASEE.
Correction
Contrary to what was stated in our September 2019 issue, printed ballots for the 2020 ASEE Elections will not be sent to members with the January 2020 Prism. Instead, members will vote online from March 2 – 31, 2020. Members who prefer a paper ballot must request one from Sylvie Nguyen-Fawley, ASEE Assistant Board Secretary, at s.nguyen-fawley@asee.org.