§18B-1C-3 West Virginia Consortium for Undergraduate Research and Engineering established; short title; membership; purpose; strategic plan; report.
§18B-1C-3. West Virginia Consortium for Undergraduate Research and Engineering established; short title; membership; purpose; strategic plan; report.
(a) There is established the West Virginia Consortium for Undergraduate Research and Engineering. This section may be designated and cited as "West Virginia CURE".
(b) West Virginia CURE is a collaborative planning group comprised of thirteen members. The Governor shall designate one of the members to be the chairperson. The members are selected as follows:
(1) The provost or a designee from West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Marshall University and West Virginia University;
(2) The director of sponsored programs from West Virginia University Institute of Technology and the vice presidents for research from Marshall University and West Virginia University;
(3) The deans of engineering from West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Marshall University and West Virginia University; and
(4) Four members appointed by the Governor, each of whom has demonstrated an interest in public higher education in West Virginia and each of whom possesses recognized credentials and expertise in one or more of the following fields:
(A) Engineering;
(B) Technology and computer science;
(C) Research development;
(D) Business leadership and management; and
(E) Finance.
At least one of the members appointed by the Governor shall be a representative of the engineering profession from business or industry.
(c) The purposes for which West Virginia CURE is established include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Increasing West Virginia's capacity for high quality engineering instruction and research;
(2) Increasing access throughout the state to high quality instruction and research opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and
(3) Stimulating economic development throughout West Virginia by increasing the number of professional engineers available to business and industry.
(d) Collaborative Engineering Strategic Plan Required.
CURE shall develop a collaborative engineering strategic plan to address the needs identified in subsection (c) of this section.
(e) Collaborative Engineering Strategic Plan Elements.
(1) The Collaborative Engineering Strategic Plan shall focus on methods to use the complementary strengths of West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Marshall University and West Virginia University.
(A) West Virginia University Institute of Technology provides a student-centered engineering program that provides full-time faculty attention and small classes. This approach prepares students well to enter and succeed in the professional practice of engineering.
(B) Marshall University exhibits a strong commitment to engineering outreach and has developed an undergraduate engineering program that builds upon the institution's tradition in liberal arts and sciences to provide unique, flexible engineering opportunities that are attractive to a broad range of students.
(C) West Virginia University's large student enrollment and high quality faculty enables the institution to provide access to a broad range of undergraduate and graduate engineering programs as well as opportunities for research-oriented study at the graduate level.
(2) The strategic plan may address, but is not limited to, consideration of the following elements:
(A) Faculty.
(B) Libraries and technology resources.
(C) Research collaboration.
(D) Coordination with K-12 education.
The strategic plan may not contain a recommendation which would result in abolishing an existing program.
(3) The consortium shall:
(A) Prepare an interim report outlining its progress and tentative conclusions for presentation to the Governor and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability no later than the first day of December, two thousand six; and
(B) Prepare a final report containing the Collaborative Engineering Strategic Plan, together with recommendations for implementation, for presentation to the Governor and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability no later than the first day of July, two thousand seven.