Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Session 2242

Reengineering Academia A Step Towards Excellence

Amitabha Bandyopadhyay State University of New York, Farmingdale

Abstract

This is a follow up paper of my last year’s paper presented at this forum “Beyond Survival - A Reengineering Case Study in Academia.” This paper presents the overall effects of reengingeering carried out on SUNY Farmingdale campus. This paper discusses Farmingdale’s planned reduction of its enrollment goal to raise admission standards to a level consistent with new baccalaureate programs. As a specialized college, Farmingdale has been challenged to reengineer the traditional concept of the technical college and to restructure itself so as to be a pivotal element in transforming the regional economy to a non-defense, high-technology base. Farmingdale redesigned its academic offerings to create career-oriented programs in those applied sciences and technologies directly related to the needs of restructured regional economy. The paper also discusses core curriculum issues, external supports, initiation of high school outreach programs, initiation of distance education, and other relevant issues.

Introduction

The state of the State University of New York at Farmingdale in 1966 is the result of a five year program of conscious reengineering reassessment and change1. While Farmingdale is Long Island’s oldest public college, as a result of this process, it is also Long Island’s youngest college in many ways. In redesigning itself, Farmingdale has taken a fresh look at its responsibilities to its students, its community and to regional industry, as Hammer and Champy defines reengineering as “the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business process to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service and speed.”2

Academic Excellence, Redesigned Programs and Enrollment Goals

Farmingdale redesigned its academic offerings to create degree programs in those applied sciences and technologies directly related to the needs of restructured regional economy. Each new program was to emphasize the development of practical skills and “hands-on” training in the fields of growing importance to regional business and industry. Long Island enterprises must be competitive in a global marketplace; therefore, Farmingdale’s new program were designed, whenever possible, to include a global perspective on technological transfers and the business potential of foreign markets. In developing these programs, the college was not only sensitive to the labor force requirements for Long Island’s resurgence, but also to the unmet needs of the students of region. The admission standards were raised for each and every program to attract higher level students. The college was aware that the implementation of this policy would

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Bandyopadhyay, A. (1997, June), Reengineering Academia A Step Towards Excellence Paper presented at 1997 Annual Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 10.18260/1-2--6760