Industrial Advisory Board Members 

  • Farris Jibril (retired from )

  • Dr. John Huffman (Adjunct faculty and )

  • Laura Bernstorf ()

  • Jeff Methe ()

  • Curtis Richardson ()

  • Brett Garber ()

  • Varun Kumar Vassankumar ()

  • Ashwin Muppasanie ()

Advisory Board Prospectus 

Advisory Board Overview

The Industrial Systems and Manufacturing Engineering Advisory Board is a select group of leaders from industry, government agencies, academia and the profession representing our constituents. This Board functions as an advisory body for the department on matters of curricular enhancement to adapt to current trends in engineering and engineering education, performance assessment and accreditation, strategic direction of the department, research initiatives, national/international visibility, and fund raising activities.

Purpose of Advisory Board

The purpose of the Advisory Board is to provide guidance and support as the department fulfills its missions to be the department of choice for industrial and manufacturing students in the region and nationally and to be recognized as a leader in industrial and manufacturing engineering education and research.

Composition of Advisory Board

The Advisory Board shall be composed of active voting members representing a broad spectrum of backgrounds. The individuals should be strong advocates of the department and strive to satisfy its mission and achieve its strategic goals. They should occupy positions which give them global vision of their industries such that they can assist the department in understanding how industrial and manufacturing engineering can serve the broad context of their enterprise. A mix of individuals from manufacturing industries (OEM, and suppliers), service industry, consulting companies, health care industry, and other industrial and manufacturing engineering programs who could provide advice to the department on long range development, emerging new technologies in the profession, and skills and knowledge required in the profession is desired.

Selection Process and Duration of Terms of Members

Each faculty member in the department, a current board member or an alumni of the department can nominate successful individuals with a strong technical background, who have been representing the constituents of the department, to become members of the board for a three-year term with possible reappointments. The Advisory Board will meet at least once a year.

Expectations

The advisory board is expected to:

  • be a strong advocate of the department
    • assist in promoting program/industry interactions including plant tours, coop opportunities, senior design projects, class projects
    • identify/assist in ways to create more scholarships for UG students
    • assist the department in recruitment and placement of students
    • be a supportive voice for the department with the university administration
  • be actively involved with the assessment/accreditation process
    • assist in making the alumni and employer survey better
    • provide feedback on the self-study report
    • be involved during ABET visit as needed
    • review and provide feedback on the assessment results
  • be actively involved with the long term continuous improvement process of the department
    • be involved with long term program development
    • help with making our curriculum a more effective, current and dynamic one that responds to the needs of industry in general
    • identify/propose emerging areas or areas of great need by the industry.