Engineering His Exit

Dean Wai-Fah Chen's dream of turning UH's college of engineering into one of the best schools in the nation is finally within arm's reach. So why is he suddenly leaving?

He may not be a superstar athlete or a top-rated comedian, but Wai-Fah Chen does have something in common with a couple of celebrities who are. Like Michael Jordan and Jerry Seinfeld before him, Chen, dean of the University of Hawaii's college of engineering, wants to go out at the top of his game. That's why, after having increased the number of faculty from 45 to 65, doubled the school's research funding and paved the path for a $25 million engineering research park, Chen is stepping down from the position he's held for just over seven years.

"Since I arrived, we've made a lot of progress. We've basically created the road map for the next dean to turn the school into one of the Top 50 engineering schools in the country. That has been my unwavering goal throughout my time here, and it will continue to be," says Chen, 69, who will stay on board as a research professor. "But surely now that we've got momentum, the time is right to bring in someone new to continue what we've started."

HB: When you arrived in 1999, you put together a very thorough vision paper. Can you briefly outline your goals then, and provide an update on your progress thus far?

A: I had a simple vision. I wanted the college to be ranked in the Top 50 engineering schools in the nation. I outlined the three things we had to do: No. 1 is hire quality faculty, No. 2 is student retention, No. 3 is better facilities. So what I did was make the college the first in the university to give merit raises based on performance to retain faculty. Then I recruited over 20 new faculty at market price. Then we raised enrollment from 500 undergraduates to 760. Our goal is 800. Also, we increased external funding to boost our graduate programs. At Stanford University, every faculty produces four masters and one Ph.D. per year. Our faculty only produces a half a master per year and very few Ph.D.'s. When I came in, we had a $4 or $5 million budget, we've since reached $8 million, and this year we may reach $10 million. Finally, in terms of facilities, we have built several multi-million-dollar laboratories.

HB: In what areas do you think Hawaii is excelling compared to other research laboratories in the nation, and in what areas can we improve?

>> FAST FACT:

Engineering colleges awarded 73,893 bachelor's, 39,837 master's and 6,604 doctoral degrees in 2004. source: american society for engineering education

A: One area we can really compete in is corrosion research. The military's worried about rusting, and Hawaii is the only state that can simulate any climate weather condition on one island, so we've received good funding to do corrosion testing. Wireless communication is another one. All this optical fiber from the Mainland to the Far East goes through Hawaii. A lot of satellites are stationed on Hawaii. And then biomedical research.

HB: What plans does the engineering school have to work with the medical school in developing biomedical research?

A: On the research side, we have some overlapping projects with the National Institute of Health. On the academic side, the first step is to produce a biomedical certificate program – a graduate program. Then we could grow to have an accredited undergraduate biomedical engineering program. Then eventually spin it off as a department.

HB: Given Hawaii's massive infrastructure needs, will we be, or are we currently experiencing an increased demand for an engineering work force?

A: We are increasing enrollment, but not fast enough to meet the local need. Construction is a very important part of the Hawaii economy, and yet we're the only accredited engineering school in the state of Hawaii. So we need more civil engineers. The only limitation is facilities. Civil engineering structures are big, but we don't have the space in this building. Also, from the military's point of view, we need more engineers. According to [former Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command] Admiral [Thomas B.] Fargo, the military should be managed by engineers, not by MBAs, because the work is very high-tech.

HB: Once students join the work force, how are we doing at retaining them locally?

A: Right now, mechanical engineers mostly work with Pearl Harbor shipyard. There's going to be a lot of expansion of military in Hawaii, so for those high-tech military jobs, there's good pay and job security. The second part, civil engineer construction, is very booming. They have no trouble finding people to stay here. In fact, 75 percent of all our construction company engineers are UH graduates. The trouble is, we want to produce more. But we don't have the facilities.

HB: What will be the new dean's biggest challenges as he attempts to fill your shoes?

A: The goal is very simple – try to be ranked in the Top 50. He has to improve our graduate program by hiring more doctoral students. That's one of my goals upon leaving. I want to stay onboard and help mentor the junior faculty to grow and be successful, and then I want to help recruit doctoral students. This is a very good time for the school. That's why I decided to step down. I came in at the worst time, and I'm leaving at the best time.

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