1. Strategic Plan for CIS Department

2. Vision Have an international reputation, apart from the main campus, for innovative research and excellent educational programs Be on a short list of departments having research excellence in several targeted research areas which have both academic and industrial components Develop in such a way that our research strengths can be reconfigured to produce quality research teams which can hit the ground running in many disparate areas

3. Short-Range Goals Be the program of choice in the Detroit Metro area for undergraduate and graduate education in computer and information science Achieve higher visibility in the computer science community Show a positive slope in research productivity measured by the standard metrics Increase the faculty’s visibility in the local industrial community Grow the faculty to 16 FTE

4. Medium-Range Goals Appreciably increase our enrollment from outside the Detroit Metro area Grow the faculty to 18 FTE with 2 permanent Lecturer positions Have the beginnings of several self- sustainable research groups in specially targeted areas Have our faculty well-represented among the international computer science community in terms of reviewing, participating in panels, serving on conference committees, and giving invited talks

5. Long-Range Goals Have a diverse international student body at all levels of study Grow the faculty to over 20 FTE Have several well-funded research groups having an international reputation Have an international reputation for being on the cutting-edge of industrial/academic cooperative programs in education and research

6. Background Information We are well-positioned in the Metro Detroit area We have a good knowledge-base on Wayne State, Oakland, Eastern, and Lawrence Tech

7. Background Information Wayne State University – Computer Science Department In a very diverse college environment  College hasn’t had the time to support the special developmental needs of the Computer Science Department  For example, there has been no support to get the undergraduate curriculum accredited Much more bureaucratic  Hiring process takes much longer

8. Background Information Wayne State University – Computer Science Department Location  Detroit is a hard sell for new faculty Political problems  Space  Non-productive faculty at higher ranks  Departmental identity issues

9. Background Information Wayne State University – Computer Science Department In general, the faculty don’t take the undergraduate program very seriously The only thing Wayne State has going for it is a Ph.D. program If we get a Ph.D. program, we have a good shot at overtaking them

10. Background Information Oakland University - Department of Computer Science and Engineering Similar environment to ours, though it is more bureaucratic Has a Ph.D. program Not well known nationally in the Computer Science community Research is oriented to computer vision and pattern recognition

11. Background Information Oakland University - Department of Computer Science and Engineering Small group in embedded programming Masters degrees in  Software Engineering  Information Systems Engineering  Embedded Systems

12. Background Information Both Eastern and Lawrence have faculty who graduated from Wayne State No research competition Must ensure our program surpasses theirs by having our courses at the leading edge of the field  Consult with our Advisory Board

13. Here → There Department governance Need for a set of by-laws codifying the committee structure and voting rules of the department

14. Here → There Curricular issues Fix our present degree programs and concentrations  They should be less similar to each other  They should reflect current technology and practices Information Systems option desperately needs upgrading  ACM/IEEE 2001 curriculum Introduce innovative concentrations or degree programs  Graphics and Visualization  Game Design Get a Ph.D. program!!!

15. Here → There Courses Pare down our offerings in some rational manner Ensure consistency in multiple section courses Ensure coverage of required material in lower-level courses

16. Here → There Course delivery mechanisms Barrier-free learning  Distance learning  24-7 availability via the web Ensure quality of adjuncts via continuous monitoring

17. Here → There Research Visibility  Create a presence at NSF and other national funding agencies Continuous submission of quality proposals Invite program managers to our campus Infrastructure  Equipment proposals

18. Here → There Research Involve our current student population  Undergraduate REU  Encourage student submissions to student- oriented conferences  Have an undergraduate resource center to familiarize students with the field with the ultimate goal being retention Joint work with other departments in the college and university

19. Here → There Research Targeted research groups  For maximum flexibility in assembling teams in particular targeted areas, hire people in various enabling technologies Web Software Systems and middleware Information management CHI – Computer/Human Interaction  We are well-situated to become well-known in graphics

20. Here → There Local visibility High school outreach program Department newsletter Encourage faculty to seek summer employment in local industry Start departmental seminar program with faculty and student involvement Targeted cooperation with other local universities in joint proposals Involve Advisory Board more in departmental planning  Encourage faculty/advisory board interplay

21. Here → There International visibility Cooperative degree programs with other institutions Send and receive graduate students to other research groups Have a more professional web presence