October 2017

Purpose

The External Advisory Board (EAB) of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) shall comprise members from the private sector, government or academia, with the purpose of providing guidance and support to MME to enable it to offer the best possible educational experience and career opportunities to its undergraduate and graduate student populations. Invited to join by the Director of MME, membership consists of alumni and friends who have successful careers and hold leadership roles in their fields. Following invitation and acceptance, members are appointed for a period of up to 3 years, the term being renewable by mutual agreement between the Director and the EAB member. The EAB meets twice per year, in the fall and the spring.

EAB members serve as trusted advisors to the Director and the faculty for constituents within WSU, and act as champions for MME in the external community. Their overarching goal is to help guide the future of education and research in MME to continuously improve our national standing, and thereby enhance the career-prospects of our graduates, and augment the value of the degrees of our alumni.

Roles

EAB members bring their personal and professional capabilities, ideas, and experiences to the board and share their advice to help MME align its efforts with strategic goals. Members also act as liaisons and advocates, sharing connections, influence, and personal and corporate resources to advance the strategic goals and mission of the school.

The principal functions of the EAB are:

1. to help the School of MME align its educational and research enterprises with the current and emerging needs of the industry to continually improve the student experience and outcomes; and
2. to assist with creating opportunities for our students and help with generating resources for the school’s initiatives and upgrades.

Members shall bring new ideas to support the above functions and serve as constructive critics, committed to providing timely and substantive inputs to assist the director and the faculty with the strategic mission of MME. Through their membership, board members develop and build beneficial relationships with the faculty, students, and fellow board members, gain insight into research discoveries
and trends, and have opportunities to meet and recruit top students.

Conduct and Responsibilities

Members shall collaborate closely with the school director in support of MME’s overarching mission of providing world-class education and performing excellent research. Members shall communicate with the director and with each other as needed, and follow through on commitments of the group and as individuals. Members shall be cognizant of university and college level priorities, and help the director in aligning the school with these, while serving its own stakeholders. EAB members are expected to treat budgetary data and strategic discussions about the school, college and university operations as confidential information.

Communications

The director shall engage the EAB by providing them with key, sometimes confidential, information to convey MME’s priorities, and seek advice. The director will also update the EAB with information tracking the status of relevant initiatives. The EAB will think strategically about ongoing initiatives, and help in
implementing industrial best practices, where applicable, in achieving the appropriate goals. It is expected that EAB members will be actively engaged in pursuing the initiatives between the biannual meetings, and communicate with the director as necessary.