School:Tuskegee university
Contents
Overview
Tuskegee University (TU) is an independent and state-related institution of higher education. It is located in Tuskegee, Alabama, which is east of Montgomery, Alabama, and west of the city of Auburn, Alabama.
The academic programs are organized into five colleges and two schools:
1. The College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences
2. The Andrew F. Brimmer College of Business and Information Science
3. The College of Engineering
4. The College of Arts and Sciences
5. The College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health;
6. The Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science
7. The School of Education
The curricula for these colleges and schools offer over 50 degrees including 39 Bachelor's, 13 Master's, 2 Doctor of Philosophy degrees: in Materials Science and Engineering, and in Integrative Biosciences, and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
The University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and other discipline dependent national agencies. Of special note is the fact that Tuskegee University is the only independent, historically black university with four engineering programs that are nationally accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), the major accrediting body for the engineering sciences. Also, Tuskegee University's Chemistry program is one of only a few among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) that is approved by the American Chemical Society. Furthermore, the Dietetics Program is approved by the American Dietetic Association and the Food Science Program is approved by the Institute of Food Technologists.
Tuskegee enrolls more than 3,000 students and employs approximately 900 faculty and support personnel. Physical facilities include more than 5,000 acres of forestry and a campus on which sits more than 100 major buildings and structures. Total land, forestry and facilities are valued in excess of $500 million (Tuskegee University, 2014).
Innovation and Entrepreneurship on Campus
During his tenure, President Dr. Gilber Rochon, developed the office of innovation and sustainable devllopment with Mohammad Bhuiyan PhD as Vice-President. This office is reported to be responsble for implementing and managing initiatives of the Tuskegee University Foundation, developing and directing the Tuskegee University Research Park, and center for entrepreneurial leadership along with other ventures in the near future.
In Spring 2014, Tuskegee University collaborated with APLU (www.aplu.gov), NCIIA and University_Innovation_Fellows_Program to initiate an innovation and entreprenuership movement on the university's campus. Discover the outline of the movement by visiting the Tuskegee University Student Priorities page.
Promoting student innovation and entrepreneurship
Tuskegee University’s student innovation and entrepreneurship is a novel initiative with administrators, faculty, and students. This historic HBCU hopes to advance and develop new technologies though investments in innovation and entrepreneurship with its students and community. To catalyze the innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) initiative TU has collaborated with National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), University Innovation, and University Innovation.
To spark this movement members have generated a leadership circle on Tuskegee University’s campus. TU will utilize this leadership circle to connect with leaders we know from our community in the STEM field and business field to develop and advance I&E. Tuskegee has a very rich alumni organization, with successful individuals who can discuss their current innovations and entrepreneurial ventures. To develop the I&E initiative on campus members of the leadership circle will start by setting up a maker space or I&E office in the department of material science and engineering. This space will serve as the meeting place for the leadership circle and I&E events. They will also petition to the university to start and official campus organization, so that they may recruit students to the I&E movement.
Next, alumni and friends will be used to extend the reach of the newly formed I&E network, to bring in more individuals with innovative and entrepreneurial ideas to the university. The I&E movement will start with a maker day to increase the awareness of the I&E movement at the campus, and continue with similar events. Later plans are to attend scientific conferences with information about the innovation movement at TU, with hopes to expose more students and attract new community leaders involved in I&E. In addition to the maker day, plans are being developed for a seminar series titled “Changing the mindset of scientific discovery,” of which is the ultimate goal for innovation and entrepreneurship at Tuskegee University. Collaboratively, members of the leadership circle have goals to increase awareness to our student body about innovative options for their research and goals, and inform them on entrepreneurial ventures that are not currently highlighted at TU.
The success of this I&E movement will increase the number of patents and successful research projects at the university, and also increase the number of minority science and technology based business owners in the TU community. The motivation is, by first providing awareness to our student body through our lecture series and innovative events I&E leaders will generate a different way of thinking in TU’s minority community. This new way of thinking and approaching science and technology will then influence interest in these fields, giving way to new inventors and businessmen, which model one of TU’s greatest scientists, G.W. Carver.
Faculty and Student Collaboration
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs was established in 1996, to coordinate the research activities of TU faculty, students and staff. Over the years, this office has been successful in realizing more than a 100% increase in funds awarded and 150% increase in total number of awards. Its staff works closely with center directors, programs managers and academic deans to facilitate Tuskegee University's sponsored projects.
TU has been a leader in the areas of basic and applied research for many years. Through fields like advanced materials, biotechnology, environmental science, engineering and biomedical research, Tuskegee is finding new ways to advance the safety and security of our world's citizens. Within TU’s centers of excellence and academic units, it is engaged in many areas of cutting edge research. Its faculty, students (both graduate and undergraduate), and staff are engaged in research that is critical to addressing the needs of modern day governments, corporations and citizens.
Leadership Circle:
1. Shaik Jeelani, VP of Research and Sponsored Programs, jeelanis@mytu.tuskegee.edu
2. Vijay Rangari, Associate Professor of Material Science and Engineering, rangariv@mytu.tuskegee.edu
3. Clayton Yates, Associate Professor of Biology, yatesc@mytu.tuskegee.edu
4. Myisha Roberson Moore, TU Graduate Student, UIF, MRS, mroberson8366@mytu.tuskegee.edu
Engaging with regional and local economic development efforts
Health Disparities Institute for Research and Education (HDIRE)
The Health Disparities Institute for Research and Education (HDIRE) is a newly established initiative at Tuskegee University that addresses some of the major health disparities that are observed in underserved and minority communities. Founding Director, Roberta Troy PhD, and Deputy Director for Program Operations, Barbara A. Howard pioneered the initiative on the campus of Tuskegee University. Currently the HDIRE has seven executive board members and ten advisory board members.
The vision of HDIRE is to obtain equity and equality in health care access, delivery, care and costs for minority individuals and families to enable them to achieve optimal physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness (Tuskegee University, 2014). HDIRE impacts its target community by providing forums, symposiums and conferences on diseases, health options, and healthy lifestyle options steered by social, community leaders and students at different universities in the state, including Tuskegee. It also provides scholarships to students engaged in research related to solving the health disparity problems of the Black Belt community and deserving youth. This program engages the Tuskegee community on a regular basis, already having 3 forums this year, and many more planned throughout 2014 and years to come. HDIRE continues to extend its presence in the Tuskegee community and may be a good model for the establishment of an innovation and entrepreneurship initiative on the campus of Tuskegee University.
Math and Science Partnership
A partnership consisting of Tuskegee University, Alabama State University, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Central Alabama Community College, Enterprise Junior College, Shelton State Community College, Wallace Community College at Selma and Wallace State Community College, nine Alabama school districts, McWane Science Center, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) at Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin and the Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering (SECME) has been formed to enhance the science achievement of students in the 6th-8th grades in selected districts of Alabama Black Belt Region.
This grant addresses the critical issue of the lack of preparation in math and science on the part of students matriculating at colleges in STEM disciplines. The staff of Alabama Mathematics, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) has provided valuable guidance in the need analysis and development of contents of this grant.
Goals of this partnership are to develop course modules to enhance teachers' presentation of science courses and student learning, to develop 3-D simulation of science experiments to enhance students' understanding of process that take place and precautions to observe in science laboratories and to train teachers in the delivery of course modules and student motivation.
Related Links
Tuskegee_University_Student_Priorities
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