Dean's Advisory Council

Mission

Meeting Agendas/Minutes
Member Resources

The mission of the Dean's Advisory Council (DAC) is to assist and advise CENG through the following roles and objectives:

  • Advocacy: DAC will communicate the strategic vision as well as the needs and priorities of CENG with the University Leadership, Alumni, Industry and other internal and external constituencies. It will also support CENG in fostering mutually beneficial relationships with industry, the engineering, scientific, alumni and professional communities, and state and federal governments.
  • Guide: DAC will help CENG develop strategic goals, plans and initiate new programs. It will also provide an outside perspective to the CENG's leaders on the strategic direction of the College, help guide development of best practices to enhance the national visibility of CENG, and market the CENG to all groups outside of CENG.
  • Sounding Board: DAC will be a sounding board for the Dean's leadership, in reviewing, evaluating and implementing strategic plans, setting priorities, and consulting with the College leadership regarding issues of mutual concern related to the educational, research and service programs.
  • Resource: DAC Fund raising and advocacy are separate functions. DAC's role in fund raising should be one of endorsement, providing contacts, helping secure financial resources through personal support as well as identifying, cultivating and soliciting prospective donors, helping guide presentation of the case in support of the needs and programs, students, faculty, facilitating, and strategically leading.

Membership

Membership on DAC is by invitation of the Dean of Engineering. Prospective members of the DAC may be nominated by the present members or by members of the College of Engineering faculty or staff, with final approval by the Dean. Members are selected based on exceptional ability to contribute to one or more of the DAC's objectives. Membership shall include academic, industry, professional societies, national laboratories, and federal and state government agencies. It will also include members from the international community DAC members will be distinguished for their record of leadership and accomplishments. International members will represent a variety of educational and corporate institutions around the globe helping us facilitate and develop strong relationships in these areas outside the United States.

Terms of Service & Size of Council

The DAC will consist of a maximum of 60 members. Membership terms will be three years, with the option to renew at the discretion of the Dean. Membership will not be limited to alumni of Cal Poly and it will also reflect gender and ethnic diversity in addition to reflecting the importance of maintaining specific industry relations that are valuable to CENG. Upon completion of one or more active terms, members may be honored with Emeritus status. Emeritus members will receive most DAC communications but will not participate in regular meetings of the DAC. Emeritus members will also be invited to attend the Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award Dinner held in conjunction with the Spring meeting of the Council.

Organizational Structure & Governance

The DAC will have a Chair and a Co-Chair, each serving three year terms, with the Co-Chair succeeding the Chair. Chair of DAC should frequently communicate and coordinate with the Dean and the Executive Committee, in advance of DAC and Subcommittee meetings, to identify key issues and the most pertinent information in order to focus on efforts where it will be most productive. The Co-Chair will be the CENG Campaign Coordinator.

The following Organizational Structure, Committee Structure and Governance were established at the first meeting of the Executive Committee in February 2006, in order to help the College in five strategic areas.

Meetings

DAC will meet once a year, in the Fall. The Executive Committee meets three to four times a year and will communicate regularly via other avenues throughout the year. The fall meeting of the Executive Committee will be held sometime before the general meeting, which usually takes place in November. The fall meeting will be a two day meeting. The morning session of the first day will be devoted to presentations of the State of the College and the University, and overviews of a few selected departments and of other academic programs and initiatives. All DAC committees will meet in the afternoon of that day. In addition, each Committee will meet two more times during the year and will communicate the outcomes of their meetings with the Executive Committee. Thus, in addition to the Fall meeting, both the Executive Committee and all other Committees will hold two additional meetings, or teleconferences, throughout the year. A dinner will be held on the evening of the first day of the fall meeting and all DAC members, all Department Chairs, selected faculty and students, and all departmental advisory board chairs will be invited to attend. Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at this dinner meeting. On the second day Committees will present their recommendations and action items at the general DAC meeting. In addition, selected departments may also be invited to present an overview of their programs in the afternoon of the second day and all action items will be prepared. The chair, in collaboration with the dean, sets the dates and the agenda for meetings of the Council. The Office of the Dean is responsible for arrangements and, in working with the chair, prepares the agenda for each meeting and mails it to all members of DAC prior to each meeting. At the end of each meeting, Council makes suggestions for the agenda of the next meeting.