To:
cseac@ece.uprm.edu, alebron@softekpr.com, bowenn@us.ibm.com,
bvelez@ece.uprm.edu, carmenv@ece.uprm.edu, cmantaras@rgonline.com, Diane Greene
<diane@vmware.com>, engineering_dean@cornell.edu, jaime.seguel@ece.uprm.edu,
lrios@evertecinc.com, lueny.morell@hp.com, m.kiehl@att.net, nhv@crhc.uiuc.edu,
pablo.mlikota@globalcrossing.com, pjv@di.fc.ul.pt, ramirezl@avantpr.com,
schultz-martin@yale.edu, suri@informatik.tu-darmstadt.de, tbsmith@us.ibm.com, wcervoni@evertecinc.com
Dear CSEAC Colleagues,
I would like to thank each of you for your participation in
our first ever
After introductions from Dr. Jorge Vélez-Arocho, UPRM
Chancellor and Dr. Ramon Vasquez Espinosa, UPRM Dean of Engineering, we began
the day with an overview of Computing at UPRM by Dr. Jaime Seguel and Dr.
Bienvenido Vélez-Rivera (see Attachment A - CSEAC-mtg-Spring2004BV.ppt). This overview solidified UPRM's position as
an academic leader of undergraduate and graduate computer and engineering
programs. The recently formed PhD
program has secured many large industry grants sponsoring leading edge research
topics. Dr. Bienvenido concluded with
the presentation with recruiting, job placement strategies, and key challenges
for the University, which spawned an insightful discussion of how to improve
upon the already successful programs UPRM employs.
For your reference, I included the approved CSEAC Charter
(see Attachment B - CSEACCharterApproved.doc).
Thank you all for your careful review of the document. We will revisit it yearly to ensure it is
consistent with the Board's actions as we continually refine our
operations. Dr. Nick Bowen of IBM was
elected as CSEAC Chair and Archer Lebron of Softek, Inc. as Vice Chair.
As a result of the day's discussion, the Board agreed upon 3
primary objectives to improve the University's talent pool. Create a high quality technical workforce
that supports the emergence of knowledge based economy. Strengthen and integrate the existing academic
programs to facilitate attracting top rated students and faculty to the university. Finally, establish a foundation for research
and innovation. We drafted a letter that
included these objectives along with supporting areas to address (see
Attachment C - cseac letter to chancellor.doc).
The letter containing the Board's objectives was presented by
me to Chancellor Vélez in his home Monday evening over dinner. The Chancellor conveyed his appreciation for
the Board's efforts and asked us to focus on three key areas he felt were of
utmost importance (his response in in Attachment D -
Chancellor_velez_Reply_May52004.jpg).
First, to extend efforts to position UPRM as the leading quality
producer of Hispanic engineering and computer science graduates. Second, to create a complementary research
focused tenure track. Finally, to track
and leverage alumni to support the goals of the department.
I would like to schedule a 1 hour phone call with all of you
on June 28 at 9:00 AM CST (which will be
for our international team - - 10:00AM
ET, 7:00 AM PST,
3:00PM Portugal, and 4:00PM Germany).
The purpose of this call will be to review Chancellor's request. I hope that some of you volunteer to work on
one of the three key areas between now and our next Board meeting this
fall. If you would like to volunteer,
please send me a note or come to the phone call with some ideas!
Thank you all again for your agreement to be part of the UPRM
CSEAC Board and your participation in the first and very productive board
meeting. I would especially like to
thank Dr. Vélez for photographing the occasion (you may download pictures using
this link: www.ece.uprm.edu/~bvelez/CSEAC/fotosmtg1.zip). By mutual agreement, our next meeting is
scheduled for November 8-9. We may even
plan some optional fun events on Sunday November 7. I realize that not everyone was able to
attend the initial meeting, but I felt
that it was important to get the ball rolling.
I look forward to seeing you again, those of you who attended in person,
and meeting those that were not able to join us, hoping that the full board can
attend the next meeting. It is becoming
quite clear to me that this board has an incredible opportunity to have a
significant positive impact on the University.
Sincerely,
Nick Bowen
Attachment A
(CSEAC-mgt-Spring2004BV.ppt)
Attachment B
(CSEACCharterApproved.doc)
Attachment C
(cseac letter to
chancellor.doc)
Attachment D
(Chancellor_velez_Reply_May52004.jpg)
