UGA engineering school grows, reorganizes

University of Georgia’s College of Engineering is reorganizing during a period of rapid growth.

University of Georgia’s College of Engineering is reorganizing during a period of rapid growth.

The University of Georgia’s College of Engineering, in a sign of the times, will reorganize its administrative structure. The move is designed to streamline operations as the college has seen its enrollment quintuple in five years.

The College of Engineering will divide into three academic units: the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; the School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering; and the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering, in the spring of 2017.

“Our rapid growth demands that the college evolve to ensure the integrity of our academic programs and the efficiency of our administration,” said Donald J. Leo, the college’s dean. “But we need to evolve in a way that preserves and enhances the interdisciplinary and collaborative spirit of our teaching and research.”

The college believes the changes will help improve the national and international stature of its programs by creating an identity that promotes interdisciplinary, collaborative research and education that crosses traditional engineering disciplines.