Council of Engineering Management Academic Leaders (CEMAL)

A Note from CEMAL President

The evolution and rise of Engineering Management (EM) as a discipline of study may not date back to that of some others like mechanical, electrical, or civil, but the significance and impact of EM is undeniable. Today’s organizations in engineering and technology industry need managers and leaders who not only have expert power due to their technical knowledge and education in engineering, but also have business professional acumen to lead people, teams, and finances of engineering projects.

The fact is that EM has yet to reach similar maturity in its evolution as other disciplines of engineering have enjoyed. There are still many universities that do not offer a degree in EM or have an EM department. Therefore, it is critical for academic leaders of EM programs to communicate, collaborate, and create a network that would foster and advance EM and would promote it to flourish, grow, and become a mainstream discipline of engineering across national and international colleges and universities.

In line with CEMAL bylaws, we have developed the following to be the underlying purpose for CEMAL.

Promote and foster collaboration among engineering management programs
Engage industry to enhance impact and relevance of EM programs and curricula
Document and disseminate best-practices in EM pedagogy and education

If you are an academic leader for the EM program at your academic institution, I invite you to join all other EM academic leaders who actively participate in CEMAL activities and meetings for the common goal of advancing engineering management as a discipline and to help prepare our graduates for success in their EM professions.

Together, we can!

Upcoming CEMAL Meetings

TBD.

Ed Pohl, PhD

President

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University of Arkansas

Dave Wyrick, PhD

CEMAL Secretary

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West Virginia University

G. Todd Vanek, PhD

CEMAL Past President

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Washington State University

Current CEMAL Initiatives & Projects

1. Development and distribution of an academic and industry surveys to:

A. Determine the status of EM curricular content, relative to EMBOK

B. Capture and summarize data to help EM programs (Grad & UG) to gauge where they are relative to other programs – with respect to curriculum and other issues

C. Capture and summarize data to help EM programs to gauge where they are relative to what industry identifies as critical to know from EMBOK

2. Building a “community” of EM academic leaders:

A. Promote and create a professional network for EM academic leaders

B. Enable EM academic leaders to interact, collaborate, stay in touch, share information, and engage with each other about our programs, students, trends, best practices, challenges, and more.

C. Facilitate communication via this Listserv: CEMAL@Listserv.UNL.edu

To subscribe to this listserv, email Dr. Jena Asgarpoor

3. CEMAL-sponsored Panel at the 2021 ASEM International Annual Conference

A. Title: The Future of Engineering Management Profession & Discipline: Perspectives of Engineering Manager of the Year Award Recipients

B. Description: The role of engineering managers (EM) and issues and challenges they face are getting more and more complex. Today’s EM must respond to challenges that even a decade ago did not exist. From technology that grows and changes at the speed of light, to issues and ethics surrounding capture, process, and use of Big Data, to the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, today’s engineering managers must stay abreast of these and other developments on a continual basis. Coupled with social and environmental concerns and events such as balancing the triple bottom lines of sustainability to epic events like the COVID-19 pandemic that has engulfed the entire world and stifled global economy, today’s engineering manager must understand the impact of such issues, formulate and execute timely responses in thoughtful and responsible manner, and develop plans for minimizing and mitigating risk of similar occurrences in the future. A panel of distinguished engineering managers who have been recognized for their career accomplishments by ASEM’s EM of the Year Award will discuss challenges facing today’s engineering management profession and will paint a picture of how EM as a discipline of study must respond to prepare our graduates for these new times and new challenges.

C. Panelists: 2015 – 2020 Engineering Manager of the Year Award Recipients.