program self-study report - Lamar University Electrical Engineering

Graduate Teaching Assistants:The department shows no expenditures in this row since we fund student assistants as part-timeworkers.Part-Time Assistants:Lamar University considers a Graduate Teaching Assistantship as a salaried position. As such, thedepartment pays student assistants hourly so that they retain scholarships and to allow for betteraccountability of work performed.The Lamar University president, Dr. James Simmons, the Provost, Dr. Stephen Doblin and the College ofEngineering Dean, Dr. Jack Hopper, provide significant constructive leadership to the department insupport of our educational goals. Drs. Simmons and Hopper were key in the acquisition of the William B.and Mary G. Mitchell endowed chair gift ($1.2M) that resides in the department.7.1 Program BudgetThe budget for the Department of Electrical Engineering is determined, as discussed previously, fromstate allocations as established by the legislature. However, there are three other sources of funding thatthe department has available to it. These are discussed below:Higher Education Assistance Funds (HEAF): An annual appropriation used for acquiring,constructing, or improving tangible assets. HEAF funds are allocated directly to departments fromthe Provost's office based on perceived and anticipated needs. the funds are relatively unrestrictedand are typically used to improve equipment used in the program. HEAF has averaged roughly$12,000/year and has been spent to improve faculty office computer equipment. HEAF is anannual allocation and must be spent before the end of the fiscal year.Course fees: These are fees attached to various courses (a request must be justified and approvedby the Board of Regents) to support special equipment and software as well as instructional aids(projectors, Smart Boards, etc.). Course fees accumulate in a department account and are carriedover to the next fiscal year. This allows the fees to be banked pending equipment replacementneeds that occur sporadically. The following courses have $70 fees on them, although the collegecaps the total amount that an engineering student can be charged in any semester to $140.ELEN1200 Introduction to Electrical EngineeringELEN2107 Circuits LaboratoryELEN3108 Electronics LaboratoryELEN3109 Machines LaboratoryELEN4206/4207 Senior Projects DesignELEN4468 Microcomputer IELEN4387 Microcomputer IIGifts/donations: All donations are processed by the University Advancement Office and aredistributed to the department either in scholarship accounts, which must be used exclusively forthat purpose, or as funds deposited into the unrestricted account. The latter is an account that isundesignated and may be used for purchases not normally allowed for using state accounts.EE Program Self-Study Report-2006 35